A Mission in Action: How Colorado’s 5280 Literacy Symposium Helped Advance the Right to Read

By Alex Frazier, The Reading League Colorado President

At The Reading League, our mission is simple but powerful: to advance evidence-aligned reading instruction so that every child can become a confident, skilled reader. In Colorado, that mission came to life with the launch of our first-ever, in-person 5280 Literacy Symposium in June 2024—and just one year later, we are celebrating a powerful outcome for kids across the state.

The 2024 symposium was more than an event—it was a movement. We brought together educators, families, and advocates for a day of inspiration and action. The program featured keynote speaker Kareem Weaver, whose voice continues to challenge us to put students first; a screening of the award-winning documentary The Right to Read that underscored the urgency of change; and a panel of Colorado literacy experts and champions who grounded the conversation in our state’s realities. Together, we lifted up a shared commitment: ensuring every child in Colorado has access to effective reading instruction.

Thanks to the partnership of organizations like COKID and other advocacy allies, we were able to engage Representative Eliza Hamrick. She came to listen—to hear directly from educators and families about the barriers students face—and to consider what role policy could play in creating solutions.

That moment proved pivotal. Inspired by the urgency and clarity she encountered at the symposium, and supported by COKID, The Reading League Colorado, and other partners working hand in hand, Representative Hamrick returned to the Capitol with a call to action: Colorado must do better for children. Together, we supported her in sponsoring a dyslexia screening bill that would ensure earlier identification and intervention for students struggling to read.

In May 2025, that bill passed. It was a milestone victory for literacy in our state—and a testament to what can happen when evidence, advocacy, and collaboration come together.

A few months later, at our July 2025 symposium, Representative Hamrick returned—not just as an attendee, but as a champion. She shared highlights of the new law, outlined what it means for schools and families, and reminded us of the power of aligned advocacy.

Why does this matter to our national organization? Because it is a vivid example of our mission in action. Our work is not only about professional learning or sharing resources—it is about ensuring the right to read for every child, in every state. Achieving that goal requires collaboration, shared resources, and the understanding that when efforts are aligned, impact multiplies.

Our Colorado story proves that when we unite around evidence-aligned literacy, we do more than strengthen classroom practice—we see our mission in action. We shape policy. We create systemic change. And most importantly, we change the trajectory of children’s lives.

The launch of the 5280 Literacy Symposium in 2024 was not the end, but the beginning—a movement that, in partnership with COKID and others across the state, inspired legislative action and has already delivered meaningful change for Colorado students. And it is a reminder that when educators, families, policymakers, and advocates gather with urgency and purpose, the right to read becomes more than an aspiration—it becomes reality.

Across the country, Reading League chapters are building similar momentum. Together, as a national organization, we are proving that the fight for literacy is not abstract or distant. It is happening in classrooms, communities, and—thanks to collaboration—in statehouses too.

At The Reading League, we believe that when we come together around evidence-aligned literacy, real change happens. Colorado is proof. And it’s just the beginning.

It takes a league!

Alex Frazier
President
The Reading League Colorado

Disclaimer
Our blog is a space for shared learning, where educators, researchers, and advocates contribute their unique perspectives to advance the conversation on evidence-aligned reading instruction. The views expressed belong to the individual authors and may not fully represent those of The Reading League.