With the launch of the Oklahoma Literacy Initiative, we can help more Oklahoma children discover the power of reading.

There is a moment in every child’s life when symbols on a page become something more.

Letters connect. Words begin to make sense. A story comes alive. It may seem like a small milestone, but it changes everything.

Reading unlocks curiosity. It allows children to ask bigger questions, discover new ideas and begin learning independently. It builds confidence in the classroom and opens doors far beyond it. When children struggle to read, that struggle often follows them throughout school and into adulthood. But when they become confident readers, their opportunities grow exponentially.

That is why improving literacy is one of the most important investments we can make in Oklahoma’s future.

During this year’s legislative session, Oklahoma leaders took an important step forward by strengthening the Strong Readers Act. The Legislature deserves tremendous credit for making early literacy a priority and establishing a stronger foundation for evidence-based reading instruction. Those reforms provide schools with clearer expectations, better tools, and a renewed commitment to helping every child become a successful reader.

But passing a law is only the beginning.

Legislation creates the framework. Teachers bring it to life.

The success of these reforms will ultimately depend on the educators who walk into classrooms every day, the principals who support them, and the communities that stand behind them. When those efforts work together, each building on the next, they create a crescendo of impact that can transform outcomes for children across our state. That is why the State Chamber Research Foundation launched the Oklahoma Literacy Initiative.

This privately funded pilot program partners with 10 school districts representing rural, midsize and large communities across Oklahoma. District literacy leaders and elementary classroom teachers will receive intensive professional learning, classroom coaching, instructional modeling and ongoing support grounded in the Science of Reading.

We designed the initiative around a simple truth: Lasting improvement in literacy doesn’t happen through a one-day workshop or another binder on a shelf.

Teachers deserve practical tools, high-quality instructional materials, expert coaching and ongoing support as they implement new approaches in their classrooms. They are being asked to translate significant reforms into daily instruction while meeting the unique needs of every student they teach. That responsibility deserves sustained investment.

The Oklahoma Literacy Initiative is designed to complement — not replace — the important work already underway in our schools. By partnering with educators and providing additional support, we hope to demonstrate what successful implementation can look like and identify best practices that can benefit schools across Oklahoma.

The initiative will also include an independent evaluation so we can learn what is working, what should be improved and how successful strategies can be shared more broadly with other schools. Our goal isn’t simply to launch a program. Our goal is to help create stronger instruction, more confident teachers and meaningful progress for students.

The business community has an important stake in this work.

Tomorrow’s workforce begins in today’s elementary classrooms. Employers need graduates who can read critically, communicate clearly, solve complex problems, learn new systems and adapt as technology changes. Every conversation about workforce readiness eventually leads back to one fundamental skill: reading.

Yet literacy is about far more than economic opportunity.

Reading allows someone to understand a ballot, follow medical instructions, earn an industry credential, read a bedtime story or discover an idea that changes the course of a life. It gives people greater control over their choices and a stronger voice in their communities.

That is why this work matters.

Today, Oklahoma has stronger literacy policy, dedicated educators, engaged communities and growing momentum. The Oklahoma Literacy Initiative seeks to build on that momentum by supporting the teachers who make lasting change possible.

Improving literacy will not happen overnight. It will happen lesson by lesson, classroom by classroom, teacher by teacher, and child by child.

And every time another Oklahoma child looks at a page and realizes they can read it on their own, our state’s future becomes a little brighter.

Jake Yunker is executive director of the State Chamber Research Foundation.