The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expense of it. ~John Adams, President and Statesman, 1758 The Fourth of July always makes me think of freedom and free public schools for all America’s children, including students with disabilities. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 […]
Ask When Children Should Begin to Read
In 1936, Mabel Vogel Morphett and Carleton Washburne wrote When Should Children Begin to Read? a research paper published in The Elementary School Journal. This is a critical question because if children are pushed to read before they’re ready, they might not get it, then hate it, fail to read later and decide that reading […]
Reports Show How Phonics Crowds Out Quality Reading Like Picture Books
In 2023, Science of Reading (SoR) supporters were offended by The Science of Reading and the Rejection of Picture Books. At that time, I included reports and observations showing an overfocus on phonics instead of reading for enjoyment in SoR classrooms. If you’re a teacher who combines phonics with reading picture books for enjoyment and […]
Stuck on the Merry-Go-Round of Bad Ed. Policy for 40 Years!
Can you imagine never being able to jump off a Merry Go Round? The fight over education policy is like that. It involves the same worn-out problems that could have been addressed years ago if Americans truly got behind their democratic public schools. The middle class and the poor, Democrats and Republicans, who understand the […]
There’s Too Much Stuff on Classroom Walls!
Classroom walls for young children learning to read are often covered with words, letters, word sounds, symbols, vocabulary, and even speech therapy pronunciation mouths, which are creepy. For years, Word Walls have ruled. Bare walls are also dull and uninviting, but Word Walls scream emergency. Children must learn fast, real fast, and it’s laid out […]
Where’s the “Evidence” in State-Mandated Science of Reading Programs?
Last I looked, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have signed reading laws (Schwartz 2024). Parents, educators, school administrators, and state and local policymakers hear the Science of Reading is critical for children to read, and “evidence-based” and “research-based” are words tagged to make believers. But finding the evidence takes work. Scholars are raising […]
Public Schools: Free, Open to All Students, Owned by the American People
We just wrapped up public school week. A week? Shouldn’t Americans be grateful for free public schooling and a nation that raises children to understand their world? And do they recognize how they own their schools and how public education has been under attack? Soon, Americans will pay for everything in education. Sadly, some have turned on […]
18 Issues for Ed. Secretary Cardona to Better Drive the School Bus
Education Secretary Cardona focuses on reducing absenteeism, tutoring, and after-school programs. And he refers to raising the bar, which sounds like A Nation at Risk talk. Yet there are so many K12 issues that Cardona and the Biden administration could address, lead, and support the states and local school districts. Here are some educational issues […]
Grade Retention is Unnecessary!
Studies have linked dropout rates in Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina to the effects of grade retention, student discouragement, and school exclusion policies stimulated by high-stakes tests. ~Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and former President and CEO of the Learning […]
The Harm Caused By the Third Grade Reading Ultimatum
Tremendous pressure is placed on children to learn to read by third grade. They must pass state reading tests created by those expecting them to read at this time. If they don’t do well, they could fail third grade. Yet there’s no clear research on the age a child should be able to read. Not […]