Brad Buckley, Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Public Education, said that lessons must transition easily to higher grades, and that evidence-based practices in English language arts can improve reading and comprehension as a foundation for students' progress. Buckley was a guest on a recent episode of the Texas Talks Podcast.

“What you cover in first grade easily transitions to second grade and third grade. I think it's clear to know that this is not a canned curriculum," said Buckley on a recent edition of the Texas Talks Podcast. “There are best practices. The lessons are built around the best evidence-based processes that we know really fit the model, specifically in English language arts, that help kids learn to read. It's a lot of phonics-based or decoding along with the knowledge coherence sequence because comprehension is built around having an idea of what you're reading about.”

“A lot of kids come to school without those life experiences," said Buckley. “It's built in a way that reading scores will improve, comprehension improves, and then that is just the springboard for promotion for kids to move forward."

State Representative Brad Buckley is in his third term representing House District 54, chairs the House Public Education Committee, and serves on the House Land and Resource Management Committee.

Texas Talks podcast is hosted by Brad Swail. The weekly show is focused on public policy in the state of Texas, with insights from the people and organizations that influence it.

The podcast is available on Simple Cast and YouTube.