Congress Sponsoring Disastrous Literacy Bill

Stephen Krashen, noted educator and Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California, has conducted an intensive investigation of new legislation pending in both chambers of Congress (Senate Bill 2740, House Bill 4037). Introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the LEARN (sic) Act picks up where the widely denounced Reading First legislation of the Bush Administration left off, putting an emphasis on the "direct instruction" of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text structure.

Not only is this approach to children's literacy development not supported by scientific research, it runs contrary to good practice. There are also several other points of contention here:

1) Why do members of Congress feel so comfortable telling teachers how they must teach?

2) When cash-strapped local politicos scramble to get the money attached to whatever outrage Congress legislates, who's responsible for the devastating results?

3) Who's in charge of our schools? Members of Congress or local school boards?

4) Who's in charge of the classroom? The teacher, consulting with colleagues and parents, or members of Congress?

If your outrage hasn't reached the boiling point, think about this: The LEARN (sic) Act directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for comprehensive planning to direct the literacy development of children from birth through grade 12.

Yes, birth. Welcome to the world of George Orwell.

In an open letter to the members of Congress sponsoring this bill, Dr. Krashen points out: "The research shows again and again that we acquire our competence in literacy through wide, extensive reading, which has been marginalized in LEARN."

Dr. Krashen also illuminates that the LEARN (sic) Act opens the door to an unprecedented amount of testing, "a very bad idea at a time when children are already over-tested, when our schools have been turned into test-prep factories, and when our budgets are strained."

If Congress really wanted to help schools develop strong readers, they'd provide funds to strengthen the libraries instead of money for buying skill drill worksheets and standardized tests.

Dr. Krashen's research on the LEARN (sic) Act is available here.

In addition to offering extensive research, Dr. Krashen offers recommendations that should take precedence over misguided instruction and increased testing:

The first priority should not be new standards and tests but should be
reducing poverty. Decades of research (Martin, 2004; Coles, 2008/2009;
Berliner, 2009) confirm that poverty has a huge impact on student learning.

Krashen makes the point that many politicos seem unable to grasp:

American students from well-funded schools who come from high-income
families outscore all or nearly all other countries on international tests of
science and math. Only our children in high poverty schools score below the international average (Payne and Biddle, 1999; Bracey, 2009; Martin, 2004).

The US has the highest percentage of children in poverty of all industrializedcountries (25%, compared to Denmark's 3%). Our educational system has been successful; the problem is poverty.

People opposed to Congressional micromanagement of local classrooms should contact the members of Congress supporting this misguided legislation. Because of delays in getting mail delivered to D. C. offices, mail should be sent to local offices. D. C. phone numbers are provided.

Sen. Patty Murray
[phone]
2930 Wetmore Avenue, Ste. 903
Everett, Washington 98201

Sen. Al Franken
[phone]
60 East Plato Blvd
Suite 220
Saint Paul, MN 55107

Sen. Sherrod Brown
[phone]
1301 East Ninth St., Suite 1710
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Sen. Barbara Boxer
[phone]
2500 Tulare Street, Suite 5290
Fresno, CA 93721Sen. Barbara Boxer
She has an online form for contacting her about specific legislation here.

Sen. Diane Feinstein
[phone]
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104

Rep. John Yarmuth
202-225-5401 Southwest Government Center
7219 Dixie Highway
Louisville, KY 40258

Rep. George Miller
202-225-2095
1333 Willow Pass Road, Ste 203
Concord, CA 94520

Rep. Henry Waxman
202.225.3976
8436 West Third Street Ste 600
Los Angeles, CA 90048

 

Comments

[Amy Valens]

09:27 PM on 02/22/2010

After I read this post, I wrote to Diane Feinstein and received back a totally unrelated form answer. March 4th people are going to Washington to make noise about what is happening to education as we drown in tests and statistics while never adequately addressing the societal needs that are at the root of the problems, or the changes in teacher support that most major schools of education recommend. Will they be heard? We need an education "tea party." Throw the tests overboard! Take a stand for putting our money into growing strong communities that have the means to create good school environments.

[Kc Walsh]

06:54 PM on 01/25/2010

Please read Susan Ohanian's post and then become a fan of hers on Huffington Post!

[Mary Hendrick]

10:50 PM on 01/24/2010

Here in CO, appx. $50 million is spent w/ taxpayer money each year for CSAP tests.
Of this amount, $35 million goes to McGraw Hill to administer the test. What's wrong w/this picture?
This money could be better spent on hiring more teachers, shore up technologically-defiicient classrooms, and hire aides and/or tutors. Compensation bonuses only add to the pressure teachers already have in making sure their students pass these arbitrary tests which do nothing to educate or inspire learning in our children. Schools are penalized if students do not 'pass' these tests, whose results are shown to parents towards the end of the school year when it's a bit late to tell you that Johnny is struggling w/math.

Education begins in the home and parents are a vital part of this equation. However, when parents come from socio-economic backgrounds which are below poverty levels, our children suffer. Parents are focused on putting food on the table and making the rent, while their children are not fortunate to have stories read to them at bedtime or have time w/their parents discovering and learning about the world around them, which provides educational opportunities. Music, art, and physical education (P.E.) classes are often the first to be cut from schools when budget cuts loom, but necessary components to a well-rounded education.

'Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.' Wm Butler Yeats

[Euryalus]

04:28 PM on 01/23/2010

I've given up thinking about education policy in terms of ignorant politicians versus knowledgeable educators. Appropriate pedagogy, children's individual needs and the real and legitimate effects of poverty are no longer in this equation. Like Reading First before it, the LEARN act is just one more touchdown for privatization. The corporate oligarchs mandate rigid and inauthentic curriculum rules. Endless, inhumane, inflexible testing follows, and right now, as we speak, we who teach are all cynically "held accountable", censured, and found to be failures. We're accused of nothing more than imperfection, and found guilty: no trial, no jury, and no witnesses. Enter the corporate charter operators and voila! Watch the public money flowing like a river into the pockets of the self-serving acolytes of Milton Friedman. Just look at this week's Supreme Court decision lifting the cap on who can put money into elections. I mean, welcome to the United States of America, Incorporated!
Can you spell p-l-u-t-o-c-r-a-c-y?

[pgutpgut]

08:38 AM on 01/25/2010

I pledge allegience to the United Corporations of America, and to the profits for which they stand...one plutarchy, under Greed, indivisible, with liberty and justice for none...

[JaySpuck]

09:29 AM on 01/22/2010

What has happened to the scoundrels that profited from the Reading First fiasco? Where is Representative George Miller's outrage about this "criminal enterprise"? The same cast of characters continue to pose as "reading" researchers while not disclosing their commercial interests. These unscrupulous players have been allowed to promote their own political/personal agenda without revealing their corporate entanglements. Royalties,not research, their objective..profits, not children, their ultimate goal. Sad. Tragic. What havoc has been brought down on the nation's public school system by this band of greedy, unethical folks! Bravo for the courage of Susan Ohanian and Stephen Krashen. Their valiant fight for teachers and students should not go unnoticed.

[luisoreyes]

12:12 AM on 01/22/2010

As an educator, advocate for ELL students and their families, and as a former member of the New York City Board of Education, I'm outraged at the distortion of the teaching and learning process through relentless focus on mechanistic practices and utlitarian, business-centric approaches to school outcomes. Enough already before we lose both our grey matter (literally and figuratively) and our souls.

Luis O. Reyes, Ph.D.

[Patricia Robertson]

11:16 PM on 01/21/2010

Thanks, Susan, for your vigilance in speaking truth to power. As a recently retired teacher who had finally had enough, I weep for the children of America as they are tested to death, and for the teachers who try so hard to fit in social studies (civics? What happened to that?) and the arts. Their days are crammed with "data analysis" and test prep, and most of them are scared stiff that if their students don't "show progress" they'll be evaluated out of their jobs. Oh, and don't forget the librarians, dropping like flies from districts that replace them with "coaches" who can "analyze the data" and tell those teachers how they should be meeting the needs of their students ("Just differentiate, and they will all learn.") Where are the old masters, who would have given the advice to "Just read them a good story, help them develop a love of books, and then...give them time to read!" You can always slip in the phonics, in the context of a good story. That's the only way it's meaningful, anyway.

[suemonaco]

09:55 PM on 01/21/2010

Thanks again, Susan! When teachers eliminate "Silent Reading" time because they have to do test prep and DIBELS and all the workbook pages in the basal reader, we are in trouble! When elected officials, and corporate big-wigs whose last experiences in a classroom were when they were in school themselves make decisions about how and what teachers should teach and how schools should be run, something is seriously wrong. Unfortunately this is exactly what is happening. Thank goodness for voices like Susan's who speak the truth and continue to stand up for the children (and teachers) of America.

[Zoniedude]

09:06 PM on 01/21/2010

Ironically, the Reading First program proved that phonics hurts children. The official Reading First Impact Study evaluation report (NCES 2009-4038) demonstrated that:
“Time spent on phonics in grade one, however, was significantly and negatively related to student reading comprehension. In particular, a one-minute difference per daily reading block in the time spent on phonics per daily reading block was associated with a –0.10 point difference in student test scores. In grade two, time spent on phonics was significantly and negatively related to student reading comprehension. Similar to the finding in grade one, a one-minute difference per daily reading block in the time spent on phonics was associated with a –0.15 point difference in student test scores.” (page 45)

[traceydouglas]

07:54 PM on 01/21/2010

Considering all of the coursework and state exams required to become a credentialed teacher in California, I find it unbelievable that a former professional basketball player (in Australia) can be put in charge of dictating educational policy in the United States. He does not have a degree in education, or a teaching credential, nor did he ever even attend a public school. WTF? His ignorance is apparent and is being richly rewarded with billions of dollars of taxpayer money. It's sad to think that George W. is looking like education's best friend at this point. /sad face/ How many generations of kids are these politicians and corporate ho's going to be allowed to ruin? I love my profession, but am tired of being told what to do by people who don't have a clue.

[ohio educator]

04:07 PM on 01/21/2010

Thanks, Susan, for raising awareness of this bill. I'll bet that few of our congressmen and women's children have learned to read in the ways the bill suggests that other children should.

[COTeacher]

10:00 AM on 01/21/2010

I wholeheartedly agree with Susan Ohanian (and not just because she hails from my alma mater). I teach in an inner-city Denver middle school. Our poverty rate is above 68% this year. We had a line out the door when the students passed out thanksgiving baskets. We have homeless students, students whose parents are addicted to drugs, and students in gangs. Many of them are just trying to survive the week. Yet, we expect these kids to ingore their home lives and perform like everyone else on standardized tests.
What I see is a real disconnect between what students are asked of them on tests and what they need to know and do in order to succeed in the real world.
Real school reform begins with 21st century best practices, designed by teachers--experts in their field-- who work directly with the kids for whom the reform will benefit.
Once again, this proposed legislation highlights the ill perception that teachers are not professionals, more like glorified babysitters who need their curriculum spoon fed to them.

[Educare]

05:11 PM on 01/20/2010

Listen to Krashen. He is right on!

[jimdale]

01:51 PM on 01/20/2010

Susan Ohanian's column on the "Literacy Bill" now before Congress, in which she quotes Professor Krashen extensively, is a fine article. But all the thrashing about "education reform" in our nation is the most incredible waste imaginable. As a "Sputnik kid," it has morphed to this and that throughout my lifetime, but never ended. As long as our society remains actively (in many ways) anti-intellect and passively anti-intellect in almost all other ways, the deck chairs on the Titanic will continue to get a silly workout. The only education reform that means anything is that which is retroactive - adults first!

[iaviator]

12:54 PM on 01/20/2010

We have the best government money can buy.

Why should policy in education be different from how we support corporate interests in health care, national defense, and the environment?