replies

            Research has influenced educational decision making by providing the necessary facts to uncover the reasons for a deficiency in K-12 reading skills as well as to provide proven methods for improving teacher training and reading outcomes. For example, research on the brain revealed that reading is not learned naturally by children; therefore, instruction in reading must be intentional. The National Reading Panel’s research concluded that phonics, or breaking down the sounds to understand the whole, was beneficial for learning to read. Additional research showed that a well-rounded reading program that includes whole language and phonics could increase outcomes for both word recognition and comprehension. This research resulted in decisions by government officials to revamp k-12 reading programs, to include phonics training, and to require additional teacher training in reading for certification (Hanford, 2018).

            Universities and colleges have failed to incorporate the scientific research of reading into their teacher education programs. Therefore, professors fail to properly train the teacher candidates to teach reading. This rejection of the research has perpetuated a failure to use research throughout k-12 schools and deficiencies in reading outcome nationwide. A significant part of the problem with the higher education teacher training programs is the acceptance of pragmatic theories and the unwillingness to change when research contradicts feelings or unsubstantiated convictions. For example, professors choose to ignore the brain science behind reading because they have chosen to disavow phonics. Or it may be that reading failure continues because many education professors do not understand how children read because they fail to embrace science research.  

            The most effective way to ensure that research is being used by those for whom one is responsible is to model humility. This involves understanding that personal ideas may be wrong and having a willingness to accept the results of valid research regardless of previous belief. In some of the examples provided by the authors, the teachers rejected the science or failed to embrace the research out of ignorance. Others were too proud to admit they were wrong. If an educational leader chooses to embrace the notion that truth is relative and bases their teaching practices of pragmatism, then facts will not matter. Christians have a responsibility to live and work with an attitude of humility (Micah 6:8). It is only then that those who follow will embrace the science presented by the leader and be willing to adjust their beliefs accordingly. It is also imperative to ensure that teachers have the tools and information necessary to understand and utilize the research (Hanford, 2018). Torun (2018) discovered that teachers need the support of their leaders as well as the opportunity to experience the techniques or practices identified in the research. Also, when a direct connection can be made between the research and the student, teachers are more willing to use research for making decisions.  

References

Hanford, E. (2018). Hard words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read? APM Reports. Retrieved        from https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-           arent-being-taught-to-read?platform=hootsuite

Torun, F. (2018). Experiences of social studies pre-service teachers designing materials for       special education students: From the exhibition “Nothing Can Stop Education.”             International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 10(5), 183–200. https://doi-      org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.15345/iojes.2018.05.013

Classmate 2: In the assigned reading of  “Why aren’t kids taught to read” (Hanford 2018), I was surprised to learn from the article many factors such as poverty have led to the reading deficiency in America. In other cases, as noted in the article, students have struggled with reading because the teacher or Reading Specialist just puts a book in their hands, and then students begin a guessing game based on viewing the picture, and not sounding out words. Contrastingly, this was not just due to poverty. In fact, the article estimates that one-third of America's struggling readers are from college-educated families which does not include factors of being poverty-stricken. Another surprising fact highlighted from the article and research shows that children who don't learn to read by the end of third grade are likely to remain poor readers for the rest of their lives, along with that, it is also likely they will fall behind in other academic areas. Consequently, another leading factor of this reading deficit which vastly damaging points to the actual school because they are simply not teaching it right. Among others reasons mentioned in this article, in my opinion, the fact that American elementary schools are not teaching reading in an effective way is unacceptable, and just plain sad. As a former Reading Interventionist for elementary schools in North Carolina, I am glad to know the level of training and exposure that was provided before I interacted with the students. It was imperative that I develop my personal and professional levels of teaching and learning when it came to phonics and reading; this prepared me on a much higher level than just guessing how to teach reading skills and phonics.

       Throughout the decades of scientific research revealed, reading is not a natural process, and neither does it come naturally. The “reading war” from the 1980’s as noted in the article, has caused a diverged debate between phonics and whole language. From this disagreement, educational decision-making has been impacted by methods that are more beneficial to the reader, although inconsistent with scientific findings. The article maintains that connecting sounds with letters (phonics) is the most effective tool in learning to read. Unfortunately, the approaches to reading instruction in American schools proved to be inconsistent with findings from scientists based on human learning.  According to the teacher reflections in the article, several responses indicated they felt overwhelmed with the science of reading training. In other cases, teachers felt reading would just “fall together” through constant exposure. Unfortunately, it was the teachers who were not prepared, and they did not have prior knowledge about phonics from their own elementary school experience. Many teachers admitted to being taught sight words and the rote recall and memorization of whole language.

       One method that was intriguing from this article is the training used from a curriculum called "Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling"  (LETRS). Based on the positive impact and results from both principals and teachers, as a leader, I would fully implement this scientific based strategies which have seemingly replaced phonics workbooks and decodable readers as a leader in special education. Moreover, I would educate and expose the staff to various workshops to learn about enriched ways to teach reading which includes phonics and segmentation.  I would especially seek out the resource material to assist teachers who have never been exposed, or had very little exposure to phonetical language and sound processes to improve teaching practices, and self-efficacy as a classroom teacher. I believe this would undoubtedly impact student engagement and outcomes for the present time, and in years to come.