America’s public schools have been failing children to read for decades.
Now Byron Donalds – Trump’s pick to be Florida’s next governor – just drew a line in the sand.
He’s calling it “Read to Succeed,” and it targets the single most important moment in a child’s education.
The Number That Should Make Every Florida Parent Furious
Forty-four percent of Florida fourth-graders cannot read at grade level.
Nearly half the state’s kids hit fourth grade already behind – already fighting a battle most of them will lose.
Children who can’t read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school than their peers who can.
That’s not a gap.
That’s a cliff.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2065824026652512560?s=20
And Florida ranks 45th nationally in reading recovery.
Donalds announced the plan Saturday in Jacksonville, framing it the way every Florida parent already feels it.
“When children learn to read by third grade, you’ve opened every door ahead of them,” Donalds said. “When they fall behind, those doors of opportunity are closed.”
What the Education Establishment Got Wrong for 30 Years
Before getting to Donalds’ plan, you need to understand how Florida got here.
For decades, public schools taught children to guess at words – using pictures, context clues, and sentence structure instead of sounding them out.
It was called “balanced literacy,” and the teachers unions loved it.
The 2024 Nation’s Report Card showed 40% of fourth-graders nationwide scored below basic reading level – the worst numbers in decades.
No state improved in fourth- or eighth-grade reading in 2024.
Florida’s fourth-grade scores actually went down.
The states pulling away from the pack – Mississippi and Louisiana – are the ones that replaced balanced literacy with phonics and structured instruction.
The states still failing – New York and California – are the ones still defending the approach that produced these numbers.
DeSantis pushed Florida toward evidence-based reading during his tenure, and Donalds is making clear he intends to finish the job.
Donalds’ Plan Hits the Three Moments That Actually Matter
Here’s what separates Read to Succeed from the usual government education announcement.
Most literacy programs wait until children are already failing – third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade – and then throw money at tutoring that rarely works.
Donalds is targeting K-2, before the failure happens.
His plan establishes early reading indicators starting in kindergarten so struggling students get flagged and helped years before they fall behind.
For kids who do reach third grade behind, every student gets access to tutoring to catch up – not a lottery, not a waiting list.
On the teacher side, the plan funds science-of-reading training through Florida’s colleges and universities, replacing the balanced literacy curriculum that produced those 45th-place rankings.
And for the first time, Florida teachers who get exceptional results in literacy instruction will be recognized with a statewide Read to Succeed Award – because the education establishment has spent 30 years rewarding compliance over results.
Donalds also pledged to seek waivers from the Department of Education to redirect federal Title funds toward proven literacy programs, and to create district-level funding incentives tied to measurable reading improvements starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
Every district in Florida competing to show the biggest reading gains, with real money attached to real results.
That’s not how government education programs normally work – which is exactly why it might actually work.
Trump’s Pick Is About to Become Florida’s Education Governor
The Republican primary has already sorted itself out.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2066255565165080788?s=20
Donalds leads with 46% support in Emerson College polling – more than ten times his nearest rivals.
Trump endorsed him. Sarah Huckabee Sanders endorsed him. Jeff Landry endorsed him. Rick Scott endorsed him. Mike Johnson endorsed him.
He’s raised $45 million – a record for this stage of a Florida gubernatorial cycle.
And now he’s doing something smart: building a policy identity beyond being the Trump-endorsed candidate.
Every parent in Florida with a young child knows what it feels like when a teacher sends home a note saying their kid is struggling to read.
Every grandparent in this state has sat with a grandchild and watched them stumble through words they should know by now.
Donalds just made that moment his signature issue.
The education establishment built a system that failed half of Florida’s children and called it progress.
Donalds is calling it what it is.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, “Byron Donalds launches ‘Read to Succeed’ plan to ensure every child reads at grade level by third grade,” Florida Voice News, June 13, 2026.
- Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation,” 2011.
- ExcelinEd, “The Science of Reading: 15 States Strengthen Early Literacy Policy in 2024,” January 7, 2025.
- Stateline/The 74, “As Reading Scores Fall, States Turn to Phonics – but Not Without a Fight,” April 30, 2025.
- Emerson College Polling via ABC27, Byron Donalds 46% primary lead, April 1, 2026.
- Tampa Free Press, “Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry Backs Byron Donalds In Florida’s 2026 Gubernatorial Race.”
