Literacy
Reading Instruction Is Not a Religion
Episode III of Emily Hanford’s latest podcast, Sold a Story, describes how New Zealander Marie Clay’s debunked theory of how children learn to read took hold in the United States. Two education...
Literacy
There’s a Reading Miracle Happening Down in Mississippi
Cora-Lisa Weathersby’s son Cameron loves to read. But last year, when the Jackson, Mississippi, third grader was assigned weekly passages of challenging text, filled with unfamiliar words, Weathersby...
Literacy
Emily Hanford's New Podcast Explains How Teachers Were Sold a Story. Now Let's Follow the Science, Not Our Biases
Sold a Story, Emily Hanford’s most recent podcast about reading instruction in this country, opens with a story that is painfully familiar. Like Corinne Adams, the mom featured at the beginning of...
Literacy
If We Don't Teach Culturally Affirming Books, We Might as Well Ban Them
I closed my eyes, waiting anxiously for Mr. T to announce today’s American History lesson, hoping that we would be moving on to a new topic. I cringed as I heard the familiar phrase, “We’re going to...
Literacy
How Louisiana Created a More Equitable Reading Test
Imagine you are a high school student taking a U.S. history class. You spend the year studying the American Revolution, Civil War, and Great Depression. You show up for the final exam feeling...
Literacy
The Surprising State Where Kids Are Making a Reading Comeback
While kids across the country still struggle to read due to pandemic school closures, hopeful signs are emerging in Tennessee. Why there? When Brittany Ferrell’s son first came to her in Brownsville,...
