If We Want Johnny to Read, We Need to Teach Literacy the Proven Way

“Why can’t Johnny read?” We have been asking this specific question for nearly 75 years. Two decades ago, it gained new prominence with the release of the groundbreaking National Reading Panel Report, Teaching Young Children to Read, with the query becoming shorthand for questions about the deficiencies of reading instruction in America.

But since that report’s release in 2000, data still details that nearly 40 percent of children in fourth grade are unable to read at grade level. Johnny and Jane and their families deserve a straightforward answer to that question, particularly with all that we know from decades of research detailing the most effective, proven ways to ensure that virtually all young learners acquire literacy skills. More importantly, and more simply, these kids need to learn how to read.

We can all agree that every learner needs to be a strong, confident reader to succeed. We can all agree that educators should be using the most effective instructional practices to get every child reading. Yet with all of that agreement, we are still failing to make good on the promise, leading to some hard questions we all must confront.

Why are so many children struggling to read? Are today’s children more resistant to learning than those of past generations? No. Are teachers less attentive or is less emphasis being placed on reading? No. If anything, more attention is being devoted to the subject than ever before. Can scientifically based reading instruction make a difference? YES.

By and large, this is not a problem of why Johnny and Jane won’t learn to read, but of how they can learn to read. For years, we have had strong evidence for how to teach virtually all children to read. By using approaches reflecting scientifically based reading research, we can teach nearly every child to read well by grade three.

The research is clear about what works. Children become readers when they are taught essential reading skills, and too many schools neglect some of these skills. Effective reading programs teach: phonemic awareness — the ability to hear and work with the individual sounds or phonemes within spoken words; phonics — which allows readers to use the sounds of letters to recognize words; fluency — the ability to read accurately, quickly, and with good expression; vocabulary — word meanings; and comprehension — how to understand what is read. Children need to be taught all of these things, and teachers need to know how to teach them effectively.

Scientifically based reading research also tells us that effective instruction is not a hit-or-miss proposition. It requires systematic teaching strategies linked to supportive instructional materials and delivered in a coordinated sequence that allows for ample practice. It is also important that early learning be monitored carefully so that appropriate adjustments can be made if a child isn’t making adequate progress.

Since we have this critical scientific knowledge about reading instruction, how do we apply it in all classrooms to provide all children the reading skills they need to succeed? How do we ensure the research is implemented properly and effectively? How do we move from rhetoric to results? A valuable starting place is encouraging schools to purchase materials based on the research, to provide needed professional education so that teachers know how to teach these skills, and to provide support for the assessment and supplemental instruction that struggling readers need to succeed. These possibilities become even more essential as the majority of school districts looks to deliver a sizable portion, or even all, of 2020–21 instruction in a virtual environment.

Given that reading is the cornerstone of all learning, reading instruction must be elevated to a first-among-equals status on the to-do list of education improvement, particularly as hybrid learning becomes the new normal of the American classroom. We must ensure that scientifically based knowledge of reading is used by teachers in classrooms and that teachers are empowered to tailor their instruction to meet the literacy needs of their students. Parents must also become more aware and look more closely at the teaching and learning process, investigating the “how” of their children’s learning.

Reading, learning and succeeding — as a student and as an adult — are all linked together. And it is a link that can and must be forged early. Research shows that students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are likely to struggle in other subject areas, leaving them frustrated and, often poorly educated and placed at a lifelong disadvantage. This needn’t be the case. With research-based instruction, just about all of our children can be taught to read well, avoiding many of these long-term struggles.

The ability to read is the most fundamental component of learning. Acquiring reading skills does not happen by chance. Teaching reading is a science that requires careful application and measurement. In short, scientifically based reading instruction is how Johnny and Jane can learn to read.