What can we do to change this situation? We can screen early for risk of dyslexia. Pediatricians could do this along with the hearing and vision tests. Social workers could help families find resources early, and help parents understand what they must demand at school.
Teacher colleges must play a much bigger role in ensuring all children learn to read. They can prepare teachers to understand the five pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. They can make sure teachers know that teaching skills, like reading, is not the same as teaching content. Teaching skills requires direct instruction. School districts shouldn’t have to retrain teachers.
The neuroscience is clear: [pullquote position=\”left\”]dyslexic students and other struggling readers s쳮d when schools address all five pillars of literacy.[/pullquote] Phonics can’t stand alone, but “phonics lite,” as delivered in balanced literacy, isn’t enough. No science backs up either whole language, or the misnamed “balanced literacy” that s쳮ded it. Even early and avid readers, like me, benefit from learning phonics and morphology. We can apply it to spelling and growing vocabulary. It’s time to end the “reading wars” and ensure all teachers have the tools they need to help beginning readers crack the code of written English.
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