The state has taken steps to improve reading in schools, but it's also taken away funding.

A new plan by Connecticut education officials will require teachers to prove they know how to teach reading, as part of their certification process. The idea stems from a "reading summit" held by the education department last year.

It comes at a time when reading scores in Connecticut are stagnating.

Meanwhile, a program targeted at the state's most disadvantaged students didn't get funded in the second year of the the biennial budget leaving some 15 school districts hoping to get the program renewed.

Today we'll talk to educators about these mixed signals. What's the best way to promote literacy in schools? We'll talk about Connecticut's in-house reading research lab to learn about the science of teaching reading.

Host John Dankosky interviews Margie Gillis, Haskins Senior Scientist and Project Director of Haskins Literacy Initiative, CT Commissioner of Education Dr. Mark McQuillan, and Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director of the CT Commission on Children, live on WNPR's "Where We Live."

Download the episode here. [mp3]