Dozens of cities and states around the country are revamping how public schools teach reading in a bid to close gaps that worsened because of the pandemic, data shows.
Nearly 40% of fourth graders are below the basic proficiency level for reading, according to a standard national exam, the Nations Report Card shows.
And 37 states and D.C. have reportedly passed laws or enacted policies changing up the way reading is taught — pursuing new methods backed up by studies.
Reading curricula in America’s schools haven’t kept up with decades of science and research into how kids learn, according to Axios, which reported on the efforts.
For example, many districts long used an approach known as “balanced literacy” that directs teachers to read aloud to students and teach strategies including guessing words based on a picture or by memorizing them, Axios noted.
The new approach is called “the science of reading,” and teaches much more explicitly, the outlet reported, stressing areas like vocabulary, comprehension and phonics.
According to Tiffany Hogan, director of the Speech and Language Literacy Lab at MGH Institute in Boston, the ability to understand language and stories develops naturally in children, Axios reported — so the balanced literacy approach, because it relies on kids’ intuition to pick up reading — only works for some of them.
Studies have shown that phonics-based instruction, however, is effective at raising test scores across the board.
But that doesn't mean teachers should reject stories and take a sterile approach to teaching literacy, Hogan told the outlet. Instead, explicit instruction on how to read words and inspiring a love for books should come together, she asserted.
Many parents who were home with their kids during the pandemic noticed reading problems and started a grassroots movement to convince lawmakers and educators to make changes, Hogan told Axios.
“The fire was burning, and that threw on the gasoline,” she said.
The new awareness has come with some stunning results, the outlet reported, including in Mississippi, which climbed from 49th out of 50 states for fourth-grade reading proficiency in 2013 to 21st in 2022, Axios reported.
“After Mississippi, other states started paying attention,” Hogan told the outlet.
Yet the progress could take time, Axios reported and "the resistance is real," said Mark Seidenberg, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin said.
"There's the question of, Will these professional development programs and trainings be good enough?" Seidenberg said.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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