Crash A Poll

Not that we need to:

There is a new organization, called the National Association for Reading
First. Their purpose: "To advocate for inclusion of the tenets of Reading First
in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act" They are
conducting a poll with one question: "Has RF positively impacted student
achievement in your school/district?" Results so far: Yes, significantly 28%Yes, moderately, 12% No: 60% Not sure: 0 --Reading First is losing on a poll set up by supporters!
The website: http://www.nationalreadingfirst.org/home.html To vote in
the poll, click on "share your voice"

(via krashendigest)

Kill Reading First

Stephen Krashen has an opinion piece in today's USA Today.

Read, comment, share.

Fourth Grade Slump

Gerald Coles has a great short article about the "fourth grade slump" in reading and what should and shouldn't be done about this.

Everything he says is right. (And he doesn't have much good to say about Reading First outside of the primary grades).

He is a ninja.

False Claims About Test Results

Stephen Krashen is keeping them honest. Or at least exposing the dishonesty.

It's Not That Hard!

"The provision of a rich supply of high-interest story books is a much more feasible policy for improving English learning than any pious pronouncements about the urgent need to raise teacher quality. Many suggestions always ignore the most obvious, the most economical, the easiest to implement, one that students enjoy doing, and the one best supported by research: Study after study shows that increasing the amount of self-selected reading done by students has a profound impact on first and second language proficiency. Those who read more do better on tests of reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary, and do better on the TOEFL. We also know from the research that when young people have access to genuinely interesting and comprehensible reading material, they usually read it. Before investing in untested and expensive adventures such as restructuring and testing teachers, a crucial first step is to improve the collection of interesting and comprehensible English books available to students, and begin to include some reading time in class."

--Stephen Krashen, Ph.D.

Be Skeptical!

From Stephen Krashen:

Sent to Newsday, May 30

Secretary Spellings, as usual, claimed that No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) is "getting results." ("With
lawsuit looming, Spellings discusses No Child Left
Behind," May 29)

But there is no evidence this is so.

Spellings has claimed that reading tests scores were
up, thanks to NCLB, but a close look showed that the
gains occurred before NCLB went into effect.

Then she claimed that there was an increase in reading
test scores between 2004 to 2006 for children in
Reading First, a central component of NCLB. But a
close look showed that the gains were significantly
smaller than claimed, and some states did poorly,
despite an extra 100 minutes of instruction per week,
about an extra semester over two years. Also the
Department of Education violated a fundamental
scientific principle: There was no comparison group.
Even the modest increase could have been due to
factors other than Reading First.

We should have learned by now to be skeptical of
everything this administration says.

Stephen Krashen

For details: Krashen, S. "Reading First: 'Impressive
Gains?' "
http://www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&postid=18974).
Krashen, S "Did Reading First work?"
http://www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&postid=17349

Mo Willems T-Shirts!

Another unpaid plug. I just love this guy. He's a true children's book ninja. Knuffle Bunny, the Pigeon books, all of it. Putting a link here will remind me to buy some for my girls. Link.

Krashen Reading First Response

Stephen Krashen (a definite teaching ninja, read The Power of Reading) has a new response to a defence of Reading First. link