Why Can't Children Read? Blame the Failed Way We Teach Reading

As the reading abilities of America's children plummet, the question arises: why? Contrary to popular belief, the COVID pandemic is not the main cause. The real answer lies in the failure of most teacher training programs to instruct aspiring teachers in the most efficient and scientifically proven methods of teaching reading to children.

According to the results of the National Assessment for Educational Progress, a staggering 66% of U.S. fourth graders who took the 2022 reading exam failed to achieve proficiency.

In California, the reading exam saw 69% of fourth graders falling short of proficiency.

Despite the convenient excuse of COVID, the true culprit behind this dire situation is the widespread use of ineffective methods for reading instruction.

A recent study conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) emphasizes that decades of research have demonstrated that the most effective way to teach children to read incorporates five key components: phonemic awareness (associating sounds with letters and spoken words), phonics (understanding the relationship between letter sounds, letter groups, and written words), fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The NCTQ study states, "Research indicates that more than 90% of all students could become proficient readers if they were taught by teachers employing scientifically based reading instruction."

In other words, "nearly 1,000,000 additional children would reach fourth grade with the ability to read each year."

If the evidence is so clear, why are the reading outcomes so dismal?

As it turns out, 72% of early-grade teachers "admit to using literacy instructional methods that have been debunked by cognitive scientists many years ago."

These ineffective methods include "encouraging kids to rely on pictures to guess words or skipping unfamiliar words altogether."

One flawed reading instructional approach that enjoys popularity in states like California is balanced literacy, which "prioritizes contextual and meaning-based language instruction while downplaying the significance of systematic phonics."

According to Megan Bacigalupi, a mother from California, "In a 'balanced literacy' classroom, a child might see a picture of a horse and the word 'horse' below it in a book, but they could incorrectly guess that the word is 'pony' instead of 'horse' and still be considered correct."

In Santa Barbara, where balanced literacy has long been employed, an English teacher laments, "We are graduating students who struggle to read or write a simple essay."

Connecticut teacher Virginia Quinn-Moody asserts, "Most teachers eventually realize that balanced literacy fails to yield results and have to start the education process anew. 

Surprisingly, out of the nearly 700 teacher-training programs analyzed by the NCTQ, over 40 percent teach prospective teachers to use ineffective reading instructional methods.

Moreover, the NCTQ assigns a grade of D or F to the majority of these programs due to their insufficient coverage of the five proven core reading instruction components.

However, some states have abandoned ineffective teaching methods in favor of prioritizing scientific instructional techniques, resulting in remarkable improvements.

When Mississippi adopted scientifically proven reading methods in the 2010s, the reading performance of their low-income students, which was among the worst in the nation, jumped to the second position in 2022.

The NCTQ study puts forth crucial recommendations for state and local policymakers to reverse the declining state of student reading proficiency.

Teacher training programs should prioritize all five components of effective reading instruction, with particular emphasis on the foundational skill of phonemic awareness. Non-scientific methods like balanced literacy must be eliminated.

State policymakers should learn from states like Texas and Utah, which have implemented robust standards for scientifically based reading instruction. Implementation and accountability measures must be included.

Perhaps most importantly, local leaders such as superintendents and school board members should hire teachers and recruit student teachers from proven teacher-preparation programs. They should pair student teacher candidates with mentor teachers who employ scientific reading methods, provide professional development opportunities for current teachers to learn scientific reading techniques, and select high-quality reading curricula.

The decline in reading proficiency among American public school students is a scandal. Nevertheless, the NCTQ study outlines a roadmap for improvement. It is now the responsibility of policymakers to take action and safeguard the future of our childrenn.