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Recently, there has been renewed interest in a decades-long debate on how schools are teaching reading. The argument is over if schools should use 'balanced literacy' or the science of reading.' This post breaks down what you need to know as a parent.
I love to read. I used to be a teacher and teaching reading was my favorite subject to teach. Recently, you may have heard controversy in the news about the reading curriculum being taught in schools. My child is not school-aged, so I only recently learned about this while listening to a podcast on 'The Fight Over Phonics.' This immediately struck my interest. Personally, I believe there is something in the middle, a sweet spot for teaching literacy.
Reading is arguably the most important subject for your child to grasp because without it they will be unable to be successful in any subject. Every subject uses reading. So this is why it is wildly important for our children to learn how to read. Unfortunately, there are a ton of families out there who are finding that the way their child's school is teaching reading is not effective and many children are falling behind.
When I was a teacher, teaching reading was my favorite subject to teach because I love and am passionate about reading. I also was teaching fourth grade, which means most of my students understood the basics of reading. Additionally, I used a small group rotation, so I was able to work more closely with students. These were all the reasons I loved to teach reading. However, reading is a difficult subject to teach. And on the teacher's end of things, you are often given a curriculum or style of instruction to follow by your school district. I went to many a training or professional development on reading instruction and the expectation is to follow it. So teachers do not have a ton of autonomy. However, parents can have a significant amount of power if you know what to do.
As parents, it is our job to advocate for what our children need to be successful. So for this reason, it is important to understand how your child is taught reading and its level of success. It is also important to understand how you can make your voice heard if you would like there to be changes to the curriculum at your school district. Hint: It is likely not through talking to your child's teacher, who likely does not have the power to change the curriculum being used. However, it is always a good idea to have open communication with your child's teacher.
What is 'balanced literacy'?
Balanced literacy is focused on the child's natural interests. It connects the different components of literacy: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and observing. For educators using a balanced literacy model, they want to encourage a love of reading and writing in children by allowing them a role in choosing what to read and write. Teachers would do this through read-alouds, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading. Essentially, this method is founded on the idea that reading is natural and kids will pick it up on their own.
Lucy Calkins is a well-known proponent of a balanced literacy approach and a professor at Columbia. She created a profitable curriculum to sell to schools and districts that has been wildly popular in the past. She originally created a writing program that focused on children writing journals and using their lives and interests as the subject of their writing to help them learn to write. She then carried this philosophy over to create a reading curriculum.
So what does all of this mean? A love of reading and writing and encouraging students' interests seems like a good thing. And it certainly can be. However, there have been a number of developments in brain science that suggest that children need to learn phonics in order to learn to read effectively. Learning the different sounds of language and connecting those to written letters is vital to learning how to read.
In recent years, there has been a major shift away from balanced literacy in schools. However, a large number of schools still use balanced literacy. It is challenging (and expensive) to change a curriculum. Additionally, teachers have been teaching balanced literacy for decades and now they must relearn how to teach reading. This is a challenging and time-consuming task. Not to mention, that many teachers feel some sense of guilt that they were setting up so many students in the past to fail because they did not teach reading effectively.
What is the 'science of reading?'
The science of reading is a more structured approach and there is scientific evidence and research that shows that it works. The science of reading uses systematic, explicit phonics instruction to teach children to read.
Neuroscientists took brain images of young readers who were taught using the science of reading method and from those who were taught using a balanced literacy approach. They found that those who learned using the science of reading (phonics) were able to read more quickly and accurately and comprehend it better. This encourages early readers to read more because they understand and are rewarded by understanding what they are reading. On the other hand, for children who are reading slowly and unable to use their skills to put together letter sounds are more likely to get frustrated and be discouraged from reading.
I am a bit of a nerd about this kind of stuff, but I think brain science is so cool. How awesome that we can understand how our children can best learn to read by looking at images of their brains! So this means we need to use this information to help our kids read more effectively.
So science has uncovered a good starting point for teaching reading. First is phonemic awareness, which is essentially being able to understand and manipulate letter sounds and words. However, this is focused on oral language, not printed language. Examples: rhyming, isolating letter sounds ("what sound is at the beginning of the word "cat"?), and identifying syllables (clap out the syllables). It is also helpful if children know their letters.
Next, students learn to connect sounds with letters (graphemes). Graphemes include one or more letters. Examples of phonemes: the "eh" sound in the word egg, the "ch" sound in cheese, or "th" sound in mouth. Children need to be explicitly taught to blend sounds together to match the graphemes.
Children with a larger vocabulary are generally better able to decode (sound out) words and have higher comprehension. Children use their understanding of letters, sounds, and meaning to recognize a word. So vocabulary instruction also has an important role in the science of reading. It is also vital for children to have a strong grasp of oral language skills, sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary, and idioms because these are background knowledge needed for reading comprehension.
Why does this matter?
As mentioned earlier, reading skills are essential for your child to be successful in all academic areas. While some kids learn to read using the balanced literacy model, many do not learn to read effectively. You are your child's biggest and loudest advocate. So if you have any concerns about the reading curriculum being taught at your child's school, you may decide action is needed (more on this below). Additionally, there are things you can do at home to support it.
As much as 30 to 40 percent of children need explicit instruction in reading and phonics to learn to read. Other kids may learn to read, but not as effectively or fluently if they had explicit reading instruction. That explicit reading instruction is part of the science of reading approach, but not the balanced literacy approach.
So what happens if your child is not thriving using the reading curriculum their school or district is using? Generally, parents end up having to help either themselves at home or paying for tutors or other reading programs. While this may not be a problem for some, for others there is no room in their family budget to help pay for extra reading instruction.
This is important because it is critical to our children and their education that we ensure they are getting the literacy instruction they need to be successful readers.
Parent's Role
No matter what curriculum your child uses, parents play an important role in helping children learn to read.
At home
The absolute most important thing you can do for your child is to read with them from a very early age. But if you are looking for some other things to help your child, here are some tips that you can start with your child:
Make reading fun!
You do not want reading to become a chore or something that involves a lot of pressure and anxiety. So just have fun with books and reading.
Let your kids choose books
Let your child choose books they are interested in, but also provide books that will expand their interests and their worldviews.
Talk to your kids, all of the time
Talking and signing will build your child's vocabulary, which will help them with decoding words when they begin learning to read.
Teach phonemic awareness
Teach your child phonemic awareness by breaking words down into different sounds, breaking apart the syllables, and playing rhyming games.
Work on letter names with your child
Whether with paper and pencil or one of the many alphabet toys, working on teaching your child the letter names will help your child when they are learning to read.
Listen to your child read
When your child is able, let them read to you. Have them reread books too as repetition is helpful for beginning readers.
Encourage your child to write
Writing is an important part of literacy. Have writing tools available to your child. Encourage writing through letters, journals, stories, etc.
Ask questions
As you and your child read, ask them lots of questions about the stories. This will help improve reading comprehension.
Point out print
Observe (aloud) print that you see in the world as you and your children are out in the daily world.
Make reading a part of your daily routine
If reading is part of your daily routine, your kids will learn to love it. This will help encourage lifelong reading. Make reading time a non-negotiable in your child's (and your) daily schedule.
Have book traditions
Beyond bedtime books, make other book traditions. For example, I always buy a book and write a message in it for my child's birthday.
Encourage rereading
Repetition is helpful whether you are reading the book or they are. Repetition helps kids learn.
Model good reading and writing habits
Our children learn from us (both the good and the bad), so they will pick up on your reading habits. Show your children that reading and writing are positive parts of your life.
At School
If you are interested in making changes at the school level, you may not know where to start.
In the classroom/school:
Talk to your child's teacher
Have a conversation with your child's teacher. Ask them questions: is my child struggling with reading? What specifically are they struggling with? What can I do to support them at home? What are you doing to support them?
(Note: if your child is struggling to read, also be sure to talk to your child's pediatrician. If your child has a learning disability, there are a number of resources and laws to support them too.)
Talk to your school administrator
Have a conversation with the principal and ask questions. What is being done to support struggling readers? What resources are available to support struggling readers? What does it take to change the reading curriculum (if applicable).
Talk to other parents
Find out if other parents have similar concerns. There is often strength in numbers when wanting to make significant changes.
Before getting started with trying to make big changes at the school or district level, I recommend doing some research. Find as much data and information as you can, so that you can provide reliable information as you meet with people. By staying calm and providing real information, you will be more impactful.
Meet with the school board
Most school board meetings have a time for public comments and you can ask the board to take action. (Be sure you know the policies around speaking before going.) If possible, get other parents to come as well - strength in numbers!
Schedule a meeting with a representative of the school board
Discuss your concerns and work on getting them on your side. A one-on-one meeting may be more effective in voicing concerns and learning the barriers to changing curriculum.
File a complaint
Your school board may have a formal way to file a complaint. You can also file a complaint on the state's Department of Education website. Again, there is strength in numbers. Get as many parents as possible to submit a complaint as well.
Involve the media
Try catching the attention of your local news networks. This will likely apply additional pressure. If you can find statistics (reading pass rates for example) to back up your claims, that can be helpful.
Look to the state
Many states are passing legislation regarding the reading curriculum in schools and that their pre-service teachers are learning at universities. Meet with your state representative to discuss your concerns and make state-wide changes.
Conclusion
Effective reading instruction is vital to student success in reading and other academic subjects. For decades, many children have not been receiving reading instruction that is based on the science behind how children learn to read. This has lefts many students behind in their ability to read and succeed in school. Recently, there has been a movement to return to systematic phonics instruction, which science tells us is a more effective approach to reading instruction.
Changing the reading curriculum is not an easy task for schools and districts to do. It is extremely costly and teachers have often been trained to teach using a balanced literacy (and been using that approach for decades). Additionally, teachers are often mandated to teach using a particular approach or curriculum, so they may not have the autonomy to change their approach. However, there is evidence that supports that this change is necessary. So if your child's school and/or district are not using a science-based approach, you may need to try to intervene.
As parents, we are our children's biggest advocate. So if you are concerned about the reading instruction your child is receiving it may be time to try to effect change. If you are trying to do so, I recommend doing a lot of research so you can make a strong and informed argument. Start by talking to your child's teacher and then start working your way up the ladder. Remember, be calm, reasonable, and respectful as you work to make change. In general, everyone wants the same thing: to do the best thing for our children.
Let's raise strong readers!
Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!
Resources for More Information/ Sources:
NYT Podcast, The Daily: The Fight Over Phonics
Mississippi College - The Importance of Reading for Elementary Students
Reading Rockets - How Parents Can be Advocates for Their Children
National Youth Rights Association - How to Change Policy at School
University at Albany - Balanced Literacy
New York Times - Lucy Calkins/Fight Over Phonics
EdWeek - How do Kids Learn to Read? What the Science Says
EdWeek - Why Putting the "Science of Reading" into Practice is so Challenging
PBS - US schools embracing the science of reading
Reading Rockets - Parents can help their children read
NWEA - Parent Strategies for Improving Reading and Writing
National Education Association - Raising Readers: What Parents Can Do
EdSource - A movement rises to change the teaching of reading