Getting Reading Right

Over the past six months, there has been an explosion of attention in the mainstream press about the best way to teach reading. The New York Times , Time magazine , and other outlets have investigated why so many schools are using an approach called “balanced literacy” that doesn't include the teaching of phonics — or sounding out words — even though decades of scientific evidence make clear these skills are essential for learning to read.?

Raising the visibility of this egregious educational crime is a welcome development — and I dearly hope their attention will put an end to this malpractice. At the same time, I worry about what the reporters have left out regarding effective literacy instruction. Teaching phonics is absolutely essential — since our founding of Success Academy Charter Schools we have used a high-quality phonics program for kindergarten and first-grade students — but mastering phonics is only the first step: students must also understand what they read. To develop reading comprehension, children must need opportunities to read voluminously, probe and analyze high-quality texts under the guidance of a teacher, and build a foundation of background knowledge and vocabulary.?

Unfortunately, too many schools are falling short in these vital areas as well. Schools often treat comprehension as a set of isolated skills and procedures —?such as making inferences or finding the main idea. Teachers “model” the skill and then send students off to “practice” those skills on a miscellaneous book of their choosing. The first problem with this approach is that it reduces reading to a mere collection of skills and tactics — the quickest way to drain all pleasure from it. The second, relatedly, is that it removes the text — its quality and content —?from the center of learning. The text becomes simply a vehicle for practicing skills, rather than a work of art to be enjoyed, appreciated, and probed for meaning.

College and high school English teachers know that the best way to develop students’ capacities as nuanced, critical thinkers is to lead them in the close, analytical reading of works of literature. The same is true for young children. Teachers build students' comprehension, critical thinking, and, most importantly, their love of reading when they guide them through texts, modeling sophisticated, critical thinking and helping them notice language, discuss vocabulary, uncover meaning, and arrive at greater levels of understanding. This is the approach we strive for at Success Academy across our reading program, through read-alouds and small-group guided reading.

Critically, we are careful to choose texts that have literary merit — rich vocabulary, enticing illustrations, and worthwhile ideas — and are more advanced than what students could read on their own. Children are capable of grasping complex stories and ideas even when they are still working to master the mechanics of reading. Giving them opportunities to listen to, read, and discuss more advanced texts in a supportive environment is critical for accelerating their comprehension skills.

Independent reading is also a deeply undervalued component of effective reading instruction. We place enormous attention on this at Success because it builds a habit of daily reading that leads, over time, to falling in love with reading. Doing independent reading well requires classroom libraries well stocked with high-quality books, a structured time for “book shopping,” and a method of accountability to ensure that at-home reading takes place. In our schools, we dedicate time for independent reading at school each day (even in middle school!) and place an intensive focus on partnering with parents to support reading at home.?

Finally, and this extends beyond the reading classroom, children must be immersed in a knowledge-rich environment. There is a widespread belief in our public schools that children are only engaged by books and content that directly reflect their own experiences. In fact, while children should be able to see themselves in their classroom libraries and curriculum, they are profoundly curious about the world beyond their orbit. Exposing them to a wide range of new knowledge — which we do in our elementary schools through purposeful text selection, daily science, project-based learning, and field trips — not only sparks their engagement but also expands their vocabulary and gives them context that helps them draw connections and make inferences while reading.

It is unforgivable that so many schools don’t teach phonics in this country and I am grateful to the reporters who have drawn attention to it. But these reporters risk a backlash by suggesting that the “science of reading” refers to foundational skills only. Schools that add structured phonics while neglecting other components that advance comprehension may be frustrated when their reading achievement stagnates. It has happened before in this country and the result was a regression to the failed “balanced literacy” approach that rejects phonics altogether. Instead, we must promote a more sophisticated understanding of literacy that insists on the teaching of foundational skills, but also stresses the many other elements students need to become strong, sophisticated readers.