Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

The Rutgers University Continuing Studies program promises that its 10-hour summer classes will “turn poor readers into good readers.” In essence, Rutgers is telling parents that if they spend $329 for their children to attend 10-hours of instruction in classes of up to 20-students, taught by teachers unlikely to have graduate degrees in reading, these parents will see their children’s reading problems disappear. In 10-hours of classwork, Rutgers (or presumably the company that runs the program) will turn poor readers into good ones.

Missing Data and Research?

To date, Rutgers has ignored my written requests for data supporting what I call their “miraculous cure,” a “cure” that Rutgers has offered for eight years, a cure that if true could easily revolutionize education, save America untold billions of dollars, and save children and their parents from emotional and financial anguish. And Rutgers is not alone. For less than $500, many continuing education departments of well-known universities are offering the same “cure.”

Could it be true? Could it be a 10-hour “cure”? Over the last eight years has Rutgers University found a 10-hour “miracle”? If so, why hasn’t its graduate education faculty published and distributed an impressive volume of research on the 10-hour “miracle”?  Why hasn’t its graduate education faculty touted the “miracle” over the airwaves and in every reputable professional journal?

Decide for Yourself

If you’re a parent of a child who struggles with reading, read the quotes below and then decide if you can trust Rutgers University, a public university with two vice presidents who have stonewalled my requests for data evaluating the program’s effectiveness. After reading the quotes, ask yourself, “Can I trust any university or private education company that makes such tempting promises? Ask yourself, “Are reading problems so simple that 10-hours of instruction in large classes will likely eliminate my child’s reading problems?”

• Psychiatry Journal Article. “Reading problems show strong persistence across the school years; less is known about poor readers’ later progress in literacy skills.” (Maughan, 2009, http://www.readingandspellingchannel.com/uploads/4/0/4/1/4041264/persistance_of_developmental_reading_problems.pdf)
• American Federation of Teachers Report. “Experts agree that reading and writing call primarily on deep linguistic processing, not on more peripheral auditory or visual perceptual skills. Language knowledge and language proficiency differentiate good and poor readers.”  (American Federation of Teachers, 1999, Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science, http://www.aft.org/pdfs/teachers/rocketscience0304.pdf)
• Research Journal. Reading fluency is one of the defining characteristics of good readers, and a lack of fluency is a common characteristic of poor readers. Differences in reading fluency not only distinguish good readers from poor, but a lack of reading fluency is also a reliable predictor of reading comprehension problems…. Once struggling readers learn sound-symbol relationships through intervention and become accurate decoders, lack of fluency emerges as the next hurdle on their way to reading proficiency….  This lack of fluent reading is a problem for poor readers because they tend to read in a labored, disconnected fashion with a focus on decoding at the word level that makes comprehension of the text difficult, if not impossible. (Yıldız, 2008, www.insanbilimleri.com/ojs/index.php/uib/article/…).
• State of Texas Education Agency.  How Do Poor Readers Differ From Good Readers?
  • In contrast to good readers, most poor readers do not read strategically. Nor do they have sufficient [awareness of their thinking about reading] to develop, select, and apply strategies that can enhance their comprehension of text.
  • Typical poor readers rarely prepare before reading. They often begin to read without setting goals. They seldom consider how best to read a particular type of text.
  • During reading, poor readers may have difficulty decoding, and so have difficulty reading the words of their texts accurately. In addition, some poor readers read too slowly, or lack fluency. As a result of their slow, labored reading, they often do not comprehend much of what they read, and the attention they have to give to figuring out the words keeps them from understanding the text’s message.
  • All too often poor readers lack sufficient background knowledge about the topic of a text. They may have trouble connecting the ideas of a text. They often are not familiar with the vocabulary they encounter, and have trouble determining word meanings. Further, even when poor readers possess relevant background knowledge, they frequently are not able to activate it to help them understand what they read.
  • Some poor readers also are unaware of text organization. They do not know enough about the organizational structure of narratives or the various organizational structures of expository texts to help them read and understand.
  • After reading, poor readers typically do not think about or reflect upon what they have read. They almost never seek out additional information about a topic.
  • The cumulative effect of these difficulties is that poor readers often lose confidence in their ability to read. Because reading is difficult for them, poor readers cannot and to not read widely. As a result, they are exposed to much less text than are good readers and so receive much less practice reading. (Texas Education Agency, 2002, Comprehension instruction, http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/jthompson/Resources/ComprehensionBooklet.pdf)
• Textbook on Reading. “Remediation was most effective when it continued for 50 hours or more and was delivered by certified and experienced teachers or supervised tutors.” [Manzo, A. V., & Manzo, U. C. (1993). Literacy disorders: Holistic diagnosis and remediation. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, p. 206].
• Textbook on Reading. “The more severe the student’s deficit, the more careful the instruction must be …. Many remedial readers need the help of the most highly trained professional, because they have developed serious confusions that must be carefully and consistently corrected.” [Carnine, D., Silbert, J., & Kameenui, E. J. (1990). Direct Reading Instruction (2nd ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, p. 60].
• Textbook on Reading. “Tutoring a child on a one-to-one basis is expensive. Yet, at times, individual tutoring is the only way to produce results. Some disabled readers cannot work in even a small group; they need intensive, highly individualized instruction over a period of time by a skilled teacher who can keep them on task.” [Harris, A. J., & Sipay, E. R. (1990). How to Increase Reading Ability (9th ed.). New York: Longman, p. 413.]
• Textbook on Reading. “A minimum of about 50 instructional hours seemed necessary for significant and lasting improvement …. Older pupils usually … require a longer duration of remedial help to come up to grade level.” [Harris, A. J., & Sipay, E. R. (1990). How to Increase Reading Ability (9th ed.). New York: Longman, p. 414.]
• ScienceDaily. “A new Carnegie Mellon University brain imaging study of dyslexic students and other poor readers shows that the brain can permanently rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction.” (ScienceDaily, Aug. 7, 2008, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805124056.htm)

HM © Reading2008 & Beyond

howard@reading2008.com

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Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

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