萝卜AV视频

EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE

As students and staff return to classrooms across the country this fall, one question must remain at the center of our work: Are we preparing students not just to succeed in school 鈥� but in life?

For decades, we鈥檝e centered our definition of literacy around one critical and foundational element: reading. And rightfully so. The science of reading and learning has given us powerful tools 鈥� explicit phonics instruction, decoding strategies and comprehension supports 鈥� to build a strong foundation for all learners. This work must continue. But in the modern world, it can鈥檛 end there.

Ready for Life

It鈥檚 time to expand how we define and evolve the meaning of literacy. Today鈥檚 students still need to read, write and communicate effectively. But we鈥檇 be failing them if we stopped there. Too often we are hearing from parents that their otherwise high-achieving graduates lack the ability to create a personal budget, interpret a credit report, apply for a student loan, identify misinformation online or responsibly (and effectively) use generative AI. These are not 鈥渘ice-to-haves鈥� 鈥� they鈥檙e essential. They鈥檙e the new basics of what it means to be ready for college, career and life.

At AASA, we鈥檙e proud to support superintendents across the country in this evolving vision through the Public Education Promise 鈥� a future-ready framework for public schools grounded in the realities of practice. One of its five core principles is to Teach the New Basics: Real Skills for Real Life. As the school year begins, there鈥檚 no better time to recommit to that mission and build literacy across the curriculum in intentional, meaningful ways.

Let鈥檚 start with financial literacy. Our students will face an increasingly complex economy, and it鈥檚 our job to make sure they鈥檙e ready. That means ensuring they graduate with the ability to manage a checking account, read a lease, navigate the true cost of borrowing and understand how interest, credit and savings affect their long-term stability. We owe it to them 鈥� and to their futures 鈥� to treat financial literacy as a core part of their education, not an elective.

And then there鈥檚 digital literacy, which includes everything from discerning credible sources and evaluating online information to knowing how to use digital tools to solve real-world problems. With the rise of generative AI and algorithm-driven content, students must be taught how to think critically in the face of deepfakes, manipulated media and misleading headlines. These are 21st-century literacy skills 鈥� and they鈥檙e every bit as important as decoding text.

Literacy today is also about being civically informed. Understanding how our democracy works, how to verify a news source and how to navigate bias in media 鈥� all of these skills equip students to be not only strong learners but also engaged citizens.

Public schools are the only place where we can ensure every child 鈥� regardless of background 鈥� has access to this kind of comprehensive preparation.

Embed Literacies

None of this means abandoning the science of reading. In fact, in reality, it means building upon it. We must continue to invest in early-literacy instruction that works, while broadening our lens to ask: Are we also teaching students the literacy skills they need to thrive in real life? Are we equipping them to engage in the economy, navigate the digital world and participate fully in our interconnected society?

This fall, as the school year gets underway, I encourage every superintendent to ask: Where are we already embedding these broader literacies into our classrooms, and where can we go further? From math classes that explore interest rates and budgeting, to social studies lessons that challenge students to identify misinformation, every subject is an opportunity to build literacy for the world our students will inherit.

The Public Education Promise is our commitment to making public schools the launchpads they were always meant to be 鈥� where students gain not just academic knowledge but practical life skills that prepare them for success in the real world. Literacy is still at the heart of that promise. But it must go beyond reading.

Our students don鈥檛 just need to be literate. They need to be future-ready.

Be well, my colleagues and friends.

David Schuler is 萝卜AV视频executive director. Twitter: