Teach Effectively!

This past week, while I was attending a meeting about the US Federal initiative to improve early literacy instruction, Sol Stern published an analysis of that same program. In his extended article entitled “Too Good to Last: The True Story of Reading First,” Mr. Stern presents his account of how Reading First came into being with a foundation on rigorous scientific evidence, was watered down, became the focus of a frenzy based on “sloppy media coverage,” was abandoned by its initial patron, and finally was eviscerated for political reasons. He calls it a “cautionary tale,” but his treatment makes it read more like a tragedy.

Link to Mr. Stern’s article. Mr. Stern, who usually writes for the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, presents a view that is consonant with the position advocated by Garrison Keillor to which I referred in an earlier post on Teach Effectively; here’s a link to the earlier post on Reading First by Mr. Keillor.

Obligatory disclosure: I am a member of the Reading First advisory committee, but my statements are my own. I am not speaking on behalf of the committee nor of my colleagues on the committee.