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Hillcrest Reading Program. Trillions of dollars have been spent on public education. States and districts get billions in grants to improve instruction. Teachers are certified by over 1400 schools of education. Over 100 THOUSAND journal articles have been published on reading. But….
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Trillionsof dollars have been spent on public education. • States and districts get billions in grants to improve instruction. • Teachers are certified by over 1400 schools of education. • Over 100 THOUSAND journal articles have been published on reading.
But… What’s the public getting for all that money? How well is public education doing? Are ALL children taught well? Decide for yourself ……..
NAEP. 2005. Grade 4 reading. That’s 720 days/hours!!
720 days. 720 hours. And 38% of students STILL read at the “below basic” level. And only 30% are proficient. “Below basic” doesn’t mean “not too good.” It means “CAN’T read”! “Below basic” is like saying “Laying very still” instead of“DEAD.”
You think it’s pretty bad that 38% CAN’T read and that only 30% are proficient? Wait till you see how public education teaches minority kids and poor kids.
In other words, after 720 hours and 720 days, only 13-18% of minority and poor kids can read well. Oh, they have REAL fine futures waiting! You’d think it was real hard to teach beginning reading. Some kind of big mystery. It’s a piece of cake if you know what you’re doing. Millions of home-schooling families are doing it well right now!
The Achievement Gap Up Close and Personal I was testing in the school library. In came a little fifth grade kid (his race and ethnicity don’t matter) wearing a Cub Scout uniform—blue with gold lettering, frayed at the cuffs and collar, but spotless and starched. His Momma took good care of him. He was real thin. His skin was stretched tightly over his cheek bones--like a wood carving. I said, “Howdy, Pal. [We shook hands.] This isn’t a test. It’s just to see how you read so we can get books that are just right for you. Here. Read this. [a paragraph in a testing book] Try not to make mistakes. Okay? Start whenever you’re ready.”
He put his index finger under the first word. I thought “Great. He knows how to do this!” And he started. “K…K…Ki…Kite (the word is Kit)… mmm… mad (made) a bowat (boat). She mad the bowat of thin (tin). The noise (nose) of the bowat was vvv…vvv…very tin…The bowat wants (went) ver…ver very fast…
Can you see that he’s GUESSING what the words say? [Guessing. Fifth grade.] He looks at the first few letters---such as “no”---and he guesses “noise.” WHY? Because he’s been TAUGHT to do it exactly that way. Taught for 720 days to do it that way---the wrong way. The way that ENSURES he will NEVER read any better, never go to college, never get a good job, and most likely never leave public housing. He has NOT been taught to sound out words---a SIMPLE skill that would tell him exactly what the words say.
He was trying so hard. His proud expression faded. He started to sweat. His finger shook under the words. He looked at me for help. I said, “You’re doing fine.” [What else could I say?] He finally finished. It took 3 minutes and he made 30 errors. This is really poor. He said, “I’m stupid, ain’t I.” I almost choked. I said, “No, I bet you know all kinds of things. You’re one sharp guy.” But I knew that…..
IT WAS OVER for this little kid and for every kid like him. Nine years old. Over. Say Hello to dropping out, going to prison, and a life of poverty.
Completely Totally Absolutely Unnecessary. Because….
It’s NOT social class, “race,” family background, or not enough school funds. These are excuses. That is, lies. How do we know? Because when you use the right materials and instructional methods, most kids achieve to high levels. In some districts, schools with 90% minority and poor kids have the highest scores.
So, how about if we (principals, superintendents, ed professors, politicians) just SHUT UP about “closing the achievement gap,” “celebrating diversity,” needing more money, and “social justice”---because feel-good talk doesn’t do anything for kids. And instead just USE WELL-DESIGNED MATERIALS and EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHODS. Or is that asking too much?
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could teach kids to read on a second grade level in about three MONTHS----for 20 dollars? Not 720 days---with textbooks costing about 150 dollars per kid for each grade level---and kids STILL can’t read.
Well, we can do it. We are doing it.
This kid couldn’t read. Now he can. He won’t be one of the tragic statistics. Why, because his tutor taught him well.
Hillcrest Reading Program Monday-Thursday 4:00-5:00 PM Snack – Teach – More snack (dill pickle the size of New Jersey) We use the program called “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.” It teaches the reading skills directly and systematically. Commit to TWO days. We train you. You’ll know how to teach—and how to teach reading.
You’ll know what NO other graduates will know! [How will THAT make you look when you apply for a job?] You’ll have a head start as leader. The Chancellor will love you. You get to make a difference. You get to sin for the rest of your life and STILL get into Heaven. Big plus!
Contact Jessica MacDonald jlm1453@uncw.edu Also ricej@uncw.edu kozloffm@uncw.edu
