I was pleased to testify about the importance of books in curriculum before the DC State Board of Education.

Honestly, I was most delighted they wanted to have the conversation at all, and hear from experts about the necessity of books in ELA programs. This is all-too-rare, in an era where most state education departments encourage use of book-free curricula via their state lists.

I was also thrilled to arrive and find I was speaking alongside Natalie Wexler.

I'll write soon about what we said. In the meantime, you can watch the meeting here: youtube.com/watch?v=Yjc…

And find written statements here (March 18, 2026 meeting):