Literacy Blogs

May 14, 2022, I published what I thought would be my last word on Reading Recovery (RR) http://shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/me-and-reading-recovery. Fat chance. RR, if you don’t know, is a remedial reading program for first graders. It started in the 1970s in New Zealand and was widely adopted throughout the United States. Over the years, it has been both widely lauded and decried by reading authorities. From its inception, it was the focus of lots of research – much of which seemed to support its effectiveness, though I had expressed concerns about this (Shanahan, 1987; Shanahan & Barr, 1995), as had others (Iversen & Tunmer, ...

  I often use this space to challenge myths about the teaching of reading.       And there are a bunch of those. (Sisyphus ‘R Us.)     Which one caught my eye this week?       A blog follower raised a question about educational policies aimed at getting all kids up to a third-grade reading level by Grade 3. He was surprised about my response, and maybe you will be, too.       There is a slew of studies that reveal the persistence of reading problems... for instance: http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/persistence-of-reading-problems-research-based-fact-or-urban-myth#sthash.rtzSGGAi.dpbs Those studies show that kids who are struggling with reading in the primary grades continue to ...

This week’s challenging question: I had a question from some schools people that I’m not sure how to answer. I wonder if anyone has data on what progress can be expected of students in the primary grades getting extra help in reading. Let’s assume that the students are getting good/appropriate instruction, and the data were showing that 44% of students (originally assessed as “far below”) across grades 1-3 were on pace to be on grade level after 2 years of this extra help. Is this expected progress for such students or less than what has been shown for effective early reading interventions? Shanahan’s ...

Much is made of the idea that 25% of American kids read at below basic on the National Assessment (NAEP). These kids can't do their schoolwork, aren't going on to higher education, and are going to have difficulty taking care of themselves and their own children someday.   There is a growing sense that if we adopt the right intervention program for them we'll catch them up, close the gap, solve the problem. High schools and middle schools just need to start programming special classes for these kids.   This is a pipe dream.   While I certainly support extra programming for older poor readers, my ...