Building Equity into Literacy Instruction

How decodables, careful scope and sequence design, and inclusive materials can support all readers

Equity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through design — and literacy instruction is one of the most powerful places to start.

For too long, reading success has been treated as an outcome of effort or environment instead of a right. But when we look closely, the children who have historically struggled to learn to read are most often the same children who have been least well-served by the materials, methods, and mindsets of traditional instruction. Equity in literacy isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing better, on purpose.

1. Decodables as Tools of Access, Not Just Practice

Decodable books aren’t a trend — they’re an access point. They give children a fair chance to apply what they’ve been explicitly taught, rather than asking them to guess or memorize.

When decodable texts are paired with intentional phonics instruction, children build real confidence in their ability to read words they can actually decode. That confidence compounds into motivation, and motivation fuels equity. Because access to literacy isn’t just about knowing the code — it’s about believing you can read.

But access doesn’t end at phonics. The stories themselves matter. Representation in decodable books signals to children that they belong in the world of readers — their names, families, and experiences have a place on the page.

2. Scope and Sequence as a Justice Issue

A well-structured phonics scope and sequence isn’t just organization; it’s equity in action.When children receive systematic, cumulative instruction, every sound-symbol relationship is introduced with purpose, revisited with practice, and applied with intention. That kind of precision prevents the cracks where struggling readers tend to fall through.

A predictable, transparent sequence also empowers educators to identify gaps early and respond without shame or panic. Equity thrives where clarity lives.

When schools take time to align their literacy scope and sequence — rather than relying on a patchwork of inconsistent methods — they create a shared language for instruction, intervention, and support. That’s how systems become equitable: through coherence, not chance.

3. Inclusive Materials for a Liberating Reading Experience

Equity in literacy means representation and expectation.Children deserve to see themselves and others accurately and joyfully reflected in what they read — and they also deserve to be challenged, inspired, and respected as thinkers.

Inclusive literacy environments intentionally select materials that affirm diverse identities, reflect global perspectives, and challenge stereotypes. They avoid “diversity as decoration” — a single book in February or one “culture day” in May — and instead weave inclusion through every shelf, every lesson, every story choice.

In an equitable classroom, reading instruction honors both the science of reading and the soul of reading. We teach the code clearly and we choose texts consciously.

4. Liberation Through Literacy

Literacy is more than a skill; it’s a form of power.When children learn to decode the words around them, they also learn to decode the world.

Equitable literacy instruction opens doors that have long been shut — for students of color, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and anyone who’s been told reading “just isn’t their thing.”

Building equity into literacy isn’t about adding one more initiative. It’s about returning to what education is meant to do: free the human spirit through understanding, connection, and voice.

At Montessori Makers Learning, we believe literacy is liberation.Our decodable series and educator supports are designed to make that liberation accessible — one sound, one story, one child at a time.