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 […]
Little-Discussed Reasons Why Students Might Not Like to Read
Students don’t like to read. These rarely discussed reasons may explain why. Kindergarten is no longer a garden. Kindergartners are pressured to read. Before NCLB, over twenty years ago, this was unheard of and still makes no sense. Formal reading instruction once began in first grade. Children in the not-too-distant past were given time to […]
Can a State Reading Program Be a Success if Students are Segregated and Hungry?
Nicholas Kristof’s recent New York Times opinion piece, Mississippi Is Offering Lessons for America on Education, showcases a troubling disregard for segregated schooling and the poverty in which children find themselves. Mississippi’s Segregated Public Schools His article also begs questioning due to its focus on the agenda of ExcelinEd, former governor Jeb Bush’s education lobbying group, […]
Third-Grade Retention: Parents Show Common Ground Fighting It
My last post criticized Science of Reading (SoR) advocates for not fighting against third-grade retention or believing it’s good remediation for reading problems. Third-grade retention based on a test is a ploy to drive parents to take their children out of public schools. Some parents with children who have dyslexia, who believe in the SoR, […]
Why Do Science of Reading Advocates Accept Unscientific Third-Grade Retention?
How can anyone who claims the Science of Reading is real think it’s OK to retain a third-grade child based on one test or for any reason? If ever evidence or science existed involving education, understanding the rottenness of retention would be it. Yet some of the same people who believe using phonics (and more) […]
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 […]
The Haunted Third Grade Classrooms Children Fear: Enter and… Stay Forever!
Children fear third grade retention. It doesn’t motivate them to learn. They don’t read earlier because of it. Retention is not effective. It’s scary and could haunt a child forever. Third grade retention laws are real for children in nineteen states. NEA Reports noted in 2017 that 16 states and Washington D.C. make it mandatory that […]