Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Education advocacy group Valley Leadership has been putting leaders in classrooms to substitute for teachers once a month to help them complete a mandatory Science of Reading training. The volunteers are professionals who come from different backgrounds such as finance and medical fields and volunteer because they are concerned about education in Arizona.
These leaders come into classrooms, giving teachers time to train, which is a state requirement that arms teachers with new skills backed by years of research to help their students read proficiently.
States like Alabama trained teachers in the reading program, and Alabama went from ranking 49th in the country for 4th grade reading to now ranking 34th. In the Grand Canyon State, the program is in 11 schools after seeing success in the Mesa School District.
“We all know that literacy is a huge issue in the Valley and in the state, and if kids can’t learn to read, they can’t read to learn,” said Karen Quick who volunteered with the program.
For teachers like LaKitda Miles, having the same person come into their classroom consistently makes all the difference.
“Actually, it’s more work preparing for a substitute than to just teach on a regular day to day basis,” Miles said, “But being able to have someone that you know is experienced in the different dynamics that you’re doing in class and experiences that we have in class, it’s a little bit easier to be able to leave the materials that you’re comfortable with.”
Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.
Learn more about Report for America: reportforamerica.org
Watch full episodes of "Arizona Horizon": @AZPBSNow
Explore our education resources: azpbs.org/education
Connect with us:
Support our work: azpbs.org/donatenow
Sign up for Arizona PBS newsletters: azpbs.org
Arizona PBS on Instagram: instagram.com/arizonapbs
Arizona PBS on Facebook: facebook.com/arizonapbs
Education advocacy group Valley Leadership has been putting leaders in classrooms to substitute for teachers once a month to help them complete a mandatory Science of Reading training. The volunteers are professionals who come from different backgrounds such as finance and medical fields and volunteer because they are concerned about education in Arizona.
These leaders come into classrooms, giving teachers time to train, which is a state requirement that arms teachers with new skills backed by years of research to help their students read proficiently.
States like Alabama trained teachers in the reading program, and Alabama went from ranking 49th in the country for 4th grade reading to now ranking 34th. In the Grand Canyon State, the program is in 11 schools after seeing success in the Mesa School District.
“We all know that literacy is a huge issue in the Valley and in the state, and if kids can’t learn to read, they can’t read to learn,” said Karen Quick who volunteered with the program.
For teachers like LaKitda Miles, having the same person come into their classroom consistently makes all the difference.
“Actually, it’s more work preparing for a substitute than to just teach on a regular day to day basis,” Miles said, “But being able to have someone that you know is experienced in the different dynamics that you’re doing in class and experiences that we have in class, it’s a little bit easier to be able to leave the materials that you’re comfortable with.”
Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.
Learn more about Report for America: reportforamerica.org
Watch full episodes of "Arizona Horizon": @AZPBSNow
Explore our education resources: azpbs.org/education
Connect with us:
Support our work: azpbs.org/donatenow
Sign up for Arizona PBS newsletters: azpbs.org
Arizona PBS on Instagram: instagram.com/arizonapbs
Arizona PBS on Facebook: facebook.com/arizonapbs
