Ten years ago, Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens brought together voices from the fields of early childhood, developmental science, literacy, media, and technology to offer guidance on helping children learn to read in a digital age. This was before ChatGPT, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and before students’ literacy scores declined even further. 

Since then, technology has evolved at breakneck speed. Nearly two dozen states have enacted laws centered on the science of reading. New methods of co-designing tools with educators and students have emerged, and there is new research on what is working—and what is not. 

Join us for discussions reflecting on the past decade and the challenges innovators and educators face in today’s shifting education landscape. We will issue a call to action for learner-centered tools and policies, stronger R&D, and investments to promote equity. There is an urgent need to shape policy, research, and tools so that all children—especially those struggling to read and in under-resourced communities—can learn to read and love reading. 

Co-hosted by New America, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

With thanks to the Walton Family Foundation for its support of the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations and to the Children’s Pritzker Initiative for supporting our 2015 book Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens.