Wisconsin Leaves Children Behind

Wisconsin ’s dismal performance in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the so-called Nation’s Report Card, should come as no surprise given the disparity between what science recommends and what actually happens in classrooms. Scientifically-based methods require:
1. Instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
2. Instruction that is direct, intensive, systematic, and begun at the earliest of levels.

The educational establishment pays only superficial attention to the phonics issue and normally rejects all of #2, steadfastly adhering to the notion that any method requiring repetition and practice is somehow akin to child abuse. It maintains that it is better to merely encourage children to read, offer gentle assistance, and maintain a literature-rich environment.

While those are certainly important considerations, there is no empirical evidence to even remotely suggest that they alone can suffice, especially for those at greatest risk of reading failure – poor, minorities, children with learning impediments and English language learners.

We need to replace the “wait to fail” model with one in which “failure is not an option.” This can only come about if teachers teach directly, assess frequently and apply the appropriate interventions immediately. Yes, it is difficult. But it works.

Minnesota Working to Take Politics Out of Education

For too long our educational system has been compromised by political ideology. However, we are beginning to see the vestiges of change in Minnesota where a measure was passed with bipartisan support that would require new teachers to demonstrate knowledge of research-based reading methodology before being issued a license. More recently, a couple of democratic legislators have joined republicans in support of alternative paths to teacher certification.http://alturl.com/jrzq http://alturl.com/p4dg

Teachers Deserve Legitimate Training

In a March 9th article in Education Week, ("Better Educated Teachers Needed for Early Ed") Stephen Sawchuk questions the results of a study by the National Institute for Early Education Research because no effect size is given.

If the relationship between teacher credentials and student achievement remains murky, it is probably because the training required to procure such credentials remains seriously flawed. This is especially true in the arena of literacy instruction where teacher preparation institutions have long ignored the most viable data and continued along a path proven to be woefully inadequate for those at greatest risk of reading failure.

This victimizes children but also teachers since they are assigned a disproportionate share of the blame, not only for reading failure, but also for school failure in general.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/43647802.html
In a March 9th article in Education Week, Stephen Sawchuk

Duncan Should Address Reading As A Civil Right

It is reported in Politics K-12, that Arne Duncan is set to pledge renewed focus on civil rights. He should think beyond the obvious, because among the various civil rights infractions that occur in schools is one that is often forgotten - READING AS A CIVIL RIGHT.

The failure of the educational establishment to pursue and implement research-based reading practices has destroyed the literacy futures of countless individuals and has had a disparate impact on poor and minorities. If ever there was an expression of "cruel and unusual punishment," this one certainly qualifies.

Also see: "Reading, the Last Civil Right," by Sally Grimes of the Grimes Reading Institute
http://www.grimesreadinginstitute.com/information/articles/TheLastCivilRight.html

Sally Grimes to Speak In Madison

The Cliff's Notes to Reading Instruction

Who: Sally Grimes, Founding Director of the Grimes Reading Institute
When: Sunday, March 14, 2010; 1:00-4:00 P.M.
Where: The Pyle Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus
702 Langdon St., 53706

Sally Grimes, founding director of the Grimes Reading Institute in Rockport, Massachusetts will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Madison next Sunday, March 14th from 1:00-4:00 P.M. The title of her presentation, "The Cliff's Notes to Reading Instruction" will cover: 1. The Five Components of Reading; 2. Why Some Students Struggle to Read; 3. Why most Reading Failure is Unnecessary; and 4. Some Common Roadblocks to Best Practices.

Ms. Grimes has served in a variety of positions during her 35 years in the field of reading, and her Grimes Reading Institute was one of only three entities chosen by the Massachusetts Dept. of Education to design and develop the professional development component of the Reading First Grant under No Child Left Behind.

The event, sponsored by The Wisconsin Reading Coalition, is free and open to the Public.

Feds Reject Wisconsin's Race to the Top Application

To his credit, President Obama has shown he is serious about requiring that states adhere to rigid standards before throwing federal dollars in their direction. Wisconsin found this out the hard way by submitting a woefully inadequate Race to the Top application. Among its improprieties was a failure to embrace early literacy instruction proven most effective through the introspective lens of investigative science. Wisconsin has played political gamesmanship over this issue for some time, turning its collective back on parents of struggling readers who have literally begged for research-based reading reform measures. How long will it take for Wisconsin and other states to lay politics aside and adopt methods that are most likely to guarantee their children's literacy futures?