Georgia Passes Literacy Bill to Improve Reading Instruction

The new law aims to boost literacy rates by focusing on phonics-based teaching methods.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 9:06pm

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A grid of stylized, brightly colored children's books in primary colors, representing the new emphasis on phonics-based reading instruction in Georgia schools.A bold, colorful celebration of Georgia's renewed focus on improving childhood literacy through innovative teaching methods.Atlanta Today

The Georgia legislature has passed a new literacy bill that will change the way students are taught to read in the state. The bill, supported by House Speaker Jon Burns, focuses on a phonics-based approach to reading instruction, which has been successful in improving literacy rates in other states like Mississippi. The legislation provides funding for over 1,300 literacy coaches to be placed in public schools across Georgia, with the goal of helping the state's third-graders, of whom less than 30% currently read at grade level.

Why it matters

Improving literacy rates in Georgia is seen as crucial for addressing a range of societal issues, from chronic absenteeism and crime to teenage pregnancy and bullying. Lawmakers believe that by ensuring students can read proficiently, more will want to attend and engage in their classes, leading to better outcomes across the board.

The details

The literacy bill passed the Georgia Senate unanimously after weeks of debate and negotiation between the House and Senate over how to fund the new reading coaches. The final compromise reached allocates $70 million towards the classroom-based coaching positions, which is $40 million more than the House's original proposal. The legislation aims to replicate the success of Mississippi, which saw its national ranking for reading proficiency jump from 48th to 6th after implementing a phonics-focused curriculum.

  • The Georgia General Assembly has been debating the literacy bill for over 3 years.
  • The State Senate passed the final version of the bill on March 31, 2026.

The players

Jon Burns

The Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, who made improving student literacy one of his top legislative priorities.

Billy Hickman

A Georgia State Senator who has been working on literacy issues for over 3 years and is pleased with the passage of the new bill.

Blake Tillery

A Georgia State Senator who helped negotiate the compromise between the House and Senate versions of the literacy legislation.

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What they’re saying

“I am tickled to death, but you know, this thing started as I said, over three years ago, working on literacy, and this is just kind of icing on the cake.”

— Billy Hickman, Georgia State Senator

“The senate's version puts $70 million toward the classroom, toward coaches, about $40 million more than the House's version. We were able to eliminate a little bit of the bureaucracy.”

— Blake Tillery, Georgia State Senator

What’s next

The literacy bill will now go to the Georgia Governor's desk for signature, and the state will begin implementing the new phonics-based reading curriculum and deploying the additional literacy coaches in public schools across Georgia.

The takeaway

Georgia's new literacy legislation represents a significant investment in improving reading proficiency among the state's students, with the goal of addressing a range of social issues by ensuring more children can read at grade level. The focus on phonics-based instruction, modeled after successful reforms in Mississippi, signals a shift in the state's approach to early literacy education.