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“Why Johnny Still Can't Read”, and America's Misguided Attempts at Remediation
Modern American society is one of quick service, easily accessible information (whether pertinent, false, true, or otherwise), hand-holding 'safety nets', short attention spans, thoughtless entertainment, and instant gratification. Within this on-demand system, few members actualize the notion of reading for pleasure. While the reasons for this might be multifarious, one in particular is objectively undisputed as a contributor to not reading as a pastime: inability to read. The notion of being incapable of reading might seem antiquated, or as something that is no longer a factor in what most conceive as progressive America. With 42 million American adults who could not read, and 50 million who were incapable of reading beyond a 'fourth-grade level' in 1996 (Sweet) from only 63,000 who could not read in 1995 (Charles), one questions why such members and trends within society exist, if over 90% of Americans are enrolled in high schools, why are so many illiterate (Clemmitt)? The answer to this could be one of two major reasons. Americans cannot read because they either did not learn how to read properly, or because they do not enjoy reading, and choose not to read. Of these two, the latter is a more worrisome instigator, and would be difficult to impossible to change. The former is a question of how reading is taught in schools, and to a lesser extent, in homes.
Beginning in 1844 with Horace Mann's protest about reading phonetically, the ability of young children to read was severely handicapped, as accepted practices were changed. This happened again when the return to phonetics in the 1920's was abandoned for the “look-say” method introduced in 1929, which had disastrous effects by the 1960's, to the point where “a student in the 1960s was being exposed to only 28 percent of the words his counterpart in the 1920s had learned” (Bettelheim and Zelan 23). This battle between phonetics and “look-say” is colloquially known as “The Great Debate” among educators and administrators (Clark). Phonics have been demonstrated to be the superior method of teaching reading, yet some schools have not yet adapted this style, a major contributor to illiteracy and sub-standard reading ability within the soon-to-be adult population (Sweet) (Clark).
A solution to the reading problem seems immediately obvious – teach students with more effective methods, and more will learn to read. Yet, this is not what has happened, evidenced by the continuing decline of readers and their reading scores, which degressed from ~295 in 1992 to ~280 in 2005 (“Reading Crisis?”). Instead, the problem which needs to be solved is: how can reading be funded, or encouraged at little cost? The low-budget spending on books, 5.3% of annual spending in 2005 from 10.1% in 1992, indicates a marked trend in the decrease of reading, and be it for illiteracy or personal distaste, the effects are being felt within the education system (“Reading Crisis?”).
Sources (Some of which might not be included in this sample)
Bruno Bettelheim and Karen Zelan, On Learning to Read: The Child's Fascination With Meaning
(1981), pp. 6, 193
Clark, Charles. "Learning to Read." CQ Researcher Online. 19 May 1995. CQ Press. 11 Sep 2009
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Clemmitt, Marcia. "AP and IB Programs." CQ Researcher Online. 3 Mar 2003. CQ Press. 11 Sep 2009
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Clemmitt, Marcia. "Reading Crisis?." CQ Researcher Online. 22 Feb 2008. CQ Press. 11 Sep 2009
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Clemmitt, Marcia. “Internet Accuracy.” CQ Researcher Online. 1 Aug 2008. CQ Press. 11 Sep 2009
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Sweet, Robert. "Illiteracy: An Incurable Disease or Education Malpractice?." NRRF. 1996. NRRF. 11 Sep 2009 .
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