SKrashen:
School libraries and school librarians can help close the achievement gap.
Submitted to the Chicago Sun-Tunes, June 27.Strengthening school libraries is an easy and inexpensive way to improve school performance ("CPS board warned of drought of librarians," June 26.)There is enormous evidence that self-selected pleasure reading is the source of much of our literacy development: Those who read more read better, write better, spell better, have larger vocabularies
JUN 25
Summer Reading: Bring back the pleasure
Sent to the Wall Street Journal, June 25Summer Reading for Parents (June 25) shows how the common core is pushing publishers and parents in the wrong direction. None of these fads, all featured in the WSJ article, is supported by research, experience, or common sense: reward stickers, restricting children to reading at “their level," and a de-emphasis of fiction. Rewarding reading can send t
Intensive Systematic Phonics, Tests of Reading Comprehension, and the Garan Effect
An article in the Guardian announced that a new study confirmed the positive effect of intensive systematic phonics. In my letter to the Guardian(see below) I said that the study only confirmed what we already know: "Intensive phonics instruction helps children do better on tests in which they are asked to pronounce words out loud, and on tests of spelling. Not mentioned is the consisten
JUN 20
Support benefits for vets. Don’t support the common core.
Sent to the Santa Monica Daily PressJune 20, 2014There is concern about a US Senate bill (S. 2450) that would expand medical coverage for veterans. The cost will be high, about $50 billion per year.I propose we pay for this important bill by dumping the common core state education standards. The standards will probably cost taxpayers close to $50 billion a year – all common core tests will be gi
Common Core testing: Asking the big questions.
Sent to the Washington Post, June 20, 2014 According to "Field test of Common Core exams went well, officials say," (June 19), the "field-testing" was largely about how students react to online testing and what testing experts call "item-analysis," which means eliminating trickly items. These are low-level aspect of field-testing. There is no indication that the big