We Are Wasting Time
Mary McCool Berry, M.Ed., W.D.T.
Wilson Dyslexia Therapist | Instructional Design Specialist | Certified Dyslexia Advocate | Podcast Host
April 26, 2022 by Mary McCool Berry
The American discourse about what to read (or not) is political.
We are wasting our time.
An issue that supersedes all other education issues is LITERACY.
THE BIG SECRET..... We know how to teach reading to ensure literacy for all.
We know how to teach reading so the brain can make sense of a human construct.
We know how to make literate 90% of the population.
Why isn't reading research applied in every American classroom to ensure every student has equal access in our democracy?
Too much money is being made by companies, groups, and individuals hawking the latest shiny reading materials designed to be the fairy dust. The education establishment needs to justify the numerous administrative jobs to fix illiteracy. New programs and materials cycle through the education system and produce millions of students marginally literate by 12th grade. Education is BIG business and yet it is not getting the job done for many, many students.
Each day I teach reading to students 1:1 outside of their school day. For some inexplicable reason, the schools have not provided them with the correct reading recipe. The students whom I am privileged to teach dedicate loads of time, and perseverance, and learn to read with a very prescriptive reading approach.
Learning to read is a complex process, but it is not a mystery.
Train all pre-service teachers how to teach reading using READING RESEARCH.
What does this mean? Many students sitting in classrooms today need explicit, structured instruction. Begin with phonemic awareness, teach phonics, read aloud rich books to build comprehension and vocabulary, and follow the SCIENCE of READING.
I know teaching phonics, sounds, reading decodable books works in K-3 when presented each day in a systematic way. Let's get the job done, America!
Every student wants to read well.
The United States has been trying to figure out the solution to the literacy crisis for decades.
Consider the timeline of news:
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2020: Michigan Settles Historic Lawsuit After Court Rules Students Have Constitutional Right to Literacy
2019: Explore Results for the 2019 NAEP Reading Assessment
In 2019, average reading scores were lower for both fourth- and eighth-grade students compared to 2017: scores were lower by 1 point at fourth grade and lower by 3 points at eighth grade. At grade 12, the average score was 2 points lower in comparison to 2015.
1997: Literacy, A Weapon For a Slave. Lest we forget, knowledge is power, and for slaves in the antebellum South, learning to read was forbidden. Some slaves who dared to become literate were punished by having a finger chopped off in front of the whole slave community. Or worse. Charles Burnett's powerful made-for-television film, ''Nightjohn,''...
1987: America Needs A Literacy Corps By Warren E. Burger and Edward M. Kennedy
1989: Barbara Bush Announces Formation of Literacy Foundation
1962: WASHINGTON, March 22 (AP)--Bills to establish a Youth Conservation Corps and to reduce adult illiteracy were approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee.
1948: Failure to pass literacy tests prior to the recent elections cost 11,483 American citizens their right to vote.
Proposal:
Millions of people are working today on the literacy crisis. It is time to focus on WHAT WORKS and stop wasting precious time.
Mary McCool Berry, M.Ed. Reading K-12, Wilson Certified Dyslexia Practitioner, Certified Dyslexia Advocate, Educator for 35 years.
Internet Safety Consultant
2 年So true. Learning to read is not a mystery. Nobody should leave school unable to read.
Word Biz LLC, Dyslexia Support Services
2 年Well written. Would love to interview you on our podcast to speak to this issue.