If there is one area in which conservatives should overcome any lingering aversion to being prescriptive about classroom practice, it is early childhood literacy. Early reading failure is as close to determinative as any outcome in educational research. Given that the vast majority of teachers in a given state are trained and licensed in that state, it would be appropriate and not governmental overreach for states to adopt--or at the very least incentivize adoption of--one or more early childhood reading curricula and require teachers to be trained in their implementation as a condition of licensure. This report discusses why conservatives should support a common early reading curriculum and a teacher training and licensure strategy to ensure that reading is taught well.