A remedial reading program with basic phonics instruction and sentences like "Dad had a sad lad," is being taught to 35,000 middle and high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District this year, much to the embarrassment of students in the program, who landed in these classes due to their low Stanford 9 reading scores. While some schools and districts have had success with the program, some experts say the approach is misguided and that teenagers need a different approach to reading instruction. The Bush administration will convene a meeting of researchers and teachers this fall to examine the best ways of improving reading skills beyond the fourth grade. "Teens get a second chance at literacy," by Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2002
