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"Full Alphabet With Numerals" by David Castillo Dominicifrom freedigitalphotos.net |
discussion about differences in math and reading instruction and why reading instruction is more challenging.
But the final quote in the article from a reading teacher encapsulates the real issue in reading education:
"I don't think there is very much research out there to say that when you can take a student who is impoverished and dramatically behind, that you can fix it in three years," said Mr. Javsicas, the seventh-grade reading teacher, who also coordinates special education at Troy Prep. "But I do think the signs seem fairly positive that if we can take kids from kindergarten and take them through 12th grade, I think we can get there."Actually, there is research (lots of it) that shows reading development can be accelerated by teachers in high-needs schools, no matter what the child's background or SES. Allington (2009) addresses this straight on in the opening pages of What Really Matters in Response to Intervention: Research-based Designs. For a study in secondary literacy intervention, check out Brozo & Hargis (2003).
The problem is not "fixing" kids. The problem is fixing instruction and, before that, teacher attitudes. It makes no difference that Mr. Javsicas is a charter school teacher in New York state. Sentiments like his are just as common among public K-12 stakeholders (teachers, administrators, policymakers, parents, and the students themselves).
Instructional reforms are hobbled by the none-too-subtle notion that there will always be some students who cannot learn. And, unfortunately, reading aloud from a common text, such as was described in the Times article, exacerbates this notion because it sets up students for failure. Reading, as one of the charter school executives points out, is a multidimensional task. It is not easily documented (much less, measured) through whole-group performances with inappropriate texts. Although Bridge to Terabitha is a fourth-grade level text, a host of factors may make it inaccessible, even for a fifth-grade reader.
References
Allington, R. L. (2009). What really matters in response to intervention: Research-based designs. Boston: Pearson.
Brozo, W. G., & Hargis, C. H. (2003). Taking seriously the idea of reform: One high school’s efforts to make reading more responsive to all students. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 47(1), 14–23.
