Research shows that most children need systematic, sound-it-out instruction — known as phonics

Fed up parents, civil rights activists, newly awakened educators and lawmakers are crusading for “the science of reading.” Can they get results?

See ‘Kids Can’t Read’: The Revolt That Is Taking On the Education Establishment by Sarah Mervosh of The NY Times. Excerpts:

"Research shows that most children need systematic, sound-it-out instruction — known as phonics — as well as other direct support, like building vocabulary and expanding students’ knowledge of the world.

The movement has drawn support across economic, racial and political lines. Its champions include parents of children with dyslexia; civil rights activists with the N.A.A.C.P.; lawmakers from both sides of the aisle; and everyday teachers and principals." 

"About one in three children in the United States cannot read at a basic level of comprehension, according to a key national exam. The outcomes are particularly troubling for Black and Native American children, nearly half of whom score “below basic” by eighth grade. 

"“The kids can’t read — nobody wants to just say that,” said Kareem Weaver, an activist with the N.A.A.C.P. in Oakland, Calif., who has framed literacy as a civil rights issue and stars in a new documentary, “The Right to Read.”

Science of reading advocates say the reason is simple: Many children are not being correctly taught.

A popular method of teaching, known as “balanced literacy,” has focused less on phonics and more on developing a love of books and ensuring students understand the meaning of stories. At times, it has included dubious strategies, like guiding children to guess words from pictures.

The push for reform picked up in 2019, when national reading scores showed significant improvement in just two places: Mississippi and Washington, D.C. Both had required more phonics."

"The push for reform picked up in 2019, when national reading scores showed significant improvement in just two places: Mississippi and Washington, D.C. Both had required more phonics."

"In 2000, at the behest of Congress, a National Reading Panel recommended many strategies being argued for today. And the Bush administration prioritized phonics. Yet that effort faltered because of politics and bureaucratic snafus."

"a central problem was the curriculum: a popular program by Lucy Calkins of Columbia University’s Teachers College. Until recently, the curriculum had put less emphasis on phonics and more emphasis on children reading and writing independently."

"Professor Calkins rewrote her early literacy curriculum last year to include, for the first time, daily, structured phonics to be used with the whole class."

"amid calls for racial justice after the murder of George Floyd, Dr. Hampton (Sujatha Hampton, the education chair for the N.A.A.C.P. in Fairfax County, Va) saw an opportunity to address gaps in reading outcomes for Black and Hispanic students, compared with white and Asian students in her district.

She pressed for structured literacy in 2021 — and saw swift change."

"Panther Valley, though, used grants, donations and Covid relief money to buy a new phonics curriculum. The school also recently added 40 minutes of targeted, small-group phonics at the end of every day.

Nearly 60 percent of third graders are now proficient in decoding words, up from about 30 percent at the beginning of the school year, progress Mr. Palazzo (principal Robert Palazzo) hopes will translate to state tests this spring."

Related posts on phonics:

Phonics, Failure, and the Public Schools

Phonics in High School!

Two-Thirds of Kids Struggle to Read, and We Know How to Fix It

Sweden is a relatively wealthy country despite being a welfare state, not because of it (Swedes never bought into Progressive education with look-say ‘reading’, whole language, new math, etc. as Americans did. The three R’s are taught better over there. Learning to read using the phonics method explains the higher literacy rates)

Education Schools Have Long Been Mediocre. Now They’re Woke Too ("The National Council on Teacher Quality reviewed how many schools of education taught prospective elementary-school teachers the “science of reading”—decades-old research that confirms the necessity of phonics, spelling and vocabulary instruction. Only 15% of schools emphasized these elements in 2006, which increased to 22% according to a survey from 2019.")