Let’s start with the hard truth: Reading scores in the United States have been stagnant for over two decades. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), just 35% of fourth graders and 33% of eighth graders read proficiently. That number hasn’t budged in 20 years.
Two. Decades.
They’ve spent billions trying to fix this—revamping curriculum, retraining teachers, rewriting standards. Yet here we are. Still stuck. Still watching reading scores flatline year after year.
It’s not because teachers aren’t trying. They are. It’s not because students aren’t capable. They are.
It’s because we’re trying to solve a modern problem with yesterday’s tools.
The Definition of Insanity
Kids are growing up in a world of voice assistants, personalized playlists, and TikToks that algorithmically know what they want before they do.
Meanwhile, the delivery system—the classroom—is breaking under the weight of teacher shortages, underfunding, and time constraints. Educators are doing the best they can. But they’re being asked to solve a 21st-century problem with a 20th-century model.
We’ve got voice-enabled AI in our cars and facial recognition in our phones, but our reading interventions? Still largely paper-based, teacher-graded, and disconnected from the realities of today’s learner.
The Fluency-Comprehension Link We Pretend to Address
The National Reading Panel made it clear in 2000: fluency is the bridge to comprehension. But how do we build that bridge in real time, for every student, without burning out teachers?
This is where EdTech has to lead.
AI can now listen as a child reads aloud, correct mispronunciations in real time, and measure fluency down to the word-per-minute. Tools like Edsoma track not just speed but accuracy and pacing—and they do it without adding more grading to a teacher’s workload.
Yet most districts are still leaning on outdated assessments that only offer snapshots. We don’t need snapshots. We need video.
The Snapshot vs. Video Problem
Imagine trying to coach a quarterback using only a single photo from each game. That’s how we treat reading growth. Quarterly benchmarks. End-of-year tests. Single data points.
AI tools give us the full picture—daily, weekly, minute-by-minute. We can catch problems early. Adjust support in real time. And scale individualized instruction in ways that were never possible before.
The Elephant in the Room: Comfort Zones
So why haven’t we moved? Because change is uncomfortable. Schools are slow to adopt new technologies. Procurement is a nightmare. And frankly, many educational leaders are afraid to admit that what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked.
But here’s the good news: there is a better way, and it’s already working.
Edsoma isn’t a theory—it’s a proven tool that listens to students, helps them sound out complex words, tracks comprehension instantly, and gives teachers back their time.
It doesn’t require downloads. It doesn’t need fancy hardware. It just works.
What We Should Be Asking
Instead of asking, “How can we improve reading scores?” we should be asking:
- Why are we still relying on methods developed before the iPhone?
- What’s stopping us from putting AI reading tools in every classroom?
- Why are we okay with one-third of our students being unable to read proficiently?
This is a literacy emergency, not a gentle policy debate.
Let’s Push the System Forward
We don’t need another five-year plan. We need action. We need parents demanding more. Teachers advocating for better tools. And policymakers recognizing that reading isn’t just a subject—it’s the foundation of everything.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Let’s stop spinning our wheels. Let’s stop tweaking broken systems. Let’s put tools in place that actually work, scale, and meet students where they are—not where we wish they were.
Visit Edsoma.com to see how technology can do what bureaucracy hasn’t: help every child read with confidence, fluency, and purpose.
Written by Kyle Wallgren, Founder of Edsoma and lifelong literacy advocate.
