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Myths about reading continue to prevail, but overwhelming research now has scientists,
educators, and professional teachers' groups in agreement regarding the general facts
about reading:
- Learning to read is not a natural process that just happens on its own. It does not simply
develop naturally when a child is ready.
- Many parents think that as long as their child is bright, they will learn how to read
with no problem - but evidence does not support this. To learn to read, children must
learn the component skills necessary for reading.
- Learning to read requires explicit instruction. Learning experts now agree that an
effective reading program needs to include all the major components of reading
instruction - phonemic awareness,
phonics, sounding out, and
blending, etc.
- The 4 to 6 year old age range is the sweet spot for teaching reading. Beyond the
age of 6 or 7, teaching a child to read is a game of catch up.
- With high overall student/teacher ratios and work overload, providing individual attention and interaction
based on each child's unique capabilities, is a daunting challenge.
Too many of our children cannot read or have difficulty reading. And, if they don't read fluently,
the chances for a fulfilling life - in terms of job skills, financial stability, or academic
achievement - are greatly diminished.
What the experts are saying:
- Affluence is no guarantee of reading success.
- American Federation of Teachers
- Learning to read is a crucial step in children's education because those who fare
poorly in the early grades are unlikely to catch up later.
-Scientific American, March 2002
- Estimates indicate that at least 20 million of the 53 million school-age
children in the US are poor readers - 2 out of every 5 children.
-National Institutes of Health
- If a child is a poor reader at the end of first grade, there is an almost 90% probability that the
child will be a poor reader at the end of fourth grade.
-The Public Library Association
- Three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school.
-Yale University
- Approximately one-third of all poorly performing fourth graders have college-educated parents.
-National Assessment of Educational Progress
- Nearly 40% of fourth graders have not mastered basic reading skills. It's nearly 60% in California, and almost
half of these children live with college-educated parents.
-Council for Basic Education
- 5% of children learn to read with ease. 20% to 30% learn to read with relative ease once they begin formal
instruction. But the bulk of children (about 60%) have difficulty.
-Council for Basic Education
- For most poor readers, prevention and early intervention programs that combine instruction in phonemic
awareness, phonics, spelling, reading fluency, and reading
comprehension can increase reading skills to average reading levels.
-National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
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