Editor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2025 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “What needs to happen next—at the state, district, and school levels—for the science of reading revolution to fulfill its promise and ensure that far more children learn to read well?” Learn more.
Students are not failing. The schools are failing. They still do not deal with individual differences. The most critical difference is in literacy. Students are placed in classes by their age. They should be placed by reading (literacy) levels. For example, students in the same social studies class may have very different reading levels. I have worked at all levels K–12. I have seen students in the same class with reading levels from grade one to grade 6. In High schools the difference is often even greater. To give them all the same level materials means some will fail, some will be discipline problems, and others will be bored. Ultimately many will drop out.
We see things like students with sixth grade reading levels in the same tenth grade social studies class. When they fail, we say they failed social studies. In fact, they failed reading.
We are doing this all the time. These kids don't have a chance of success. Teaching students above their reading (language) level produces nothing but frustration, failure, and discipline problems and ultimately dropouts.
The solution is to teach students only when they are ready for a class. To do this we must make reading instruction available to all that need it K–12.
We have to restructure the system to prioritize literacy in K–12. Students must be ready in terms of literacy for all classes. When we make this vital adjustment, achievement will rise dramatically in all academic subjects.
