30yrs ago, children could read better

[Anonymous]

Frightening article in the NYT today -

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/us/reading-skills-naep.html#commentsContainer

[Anonymous]

One can thank Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell for much of that decline.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Computers, social media and lack of printed newspapers and easy entertainment are to blame. Even I can't read the longer more intense novels I used to as a teen in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One can thank Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell for much of that decline.

Yes, I highly recommend "Sold a Story" for anyone who hasn't listened to it. Honestly, my kids go to a "good" public who teaches the science of reading but I feel like I need to teach my OWN kids because kids do slip through the cracks and part of why a good public is good is that the parents are teaching kids at home. Not just reading but math too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Computers, social media and lack of printed newspapers and easy entertainment are to blame. Even I can't read the longer more intense novels I used to as a teen in the 90s.

It's not just kids. Adults are scoring lower in reading comprehension as well. It started, for kids and adults, in 2012/2013, although the pandemic exacerbated it. (In 2012, 4G LTE was rolling out nationwide and we went from slow 3G smartphones to fast 4G smartphones. And that was it.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One can thank Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell for much of that decline.

Other disasters:
1. print first then cursive, followed by replacement of cursive with typing
2. de-emphasizing wrote memorization particularly multiplication table/math facts
3. technology in the classroom
5. mainstreaming special needs kids in the classroom
6. not expelling for academic underperformance and repeat behavior problems
7. not requiring chapter books to be read from cover-to-cover
8. finally and most controversially: whining about test prep. Some would call preparing for an exam studying (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). If it is a well-written exam there is nothing wrong with teaching to it!

[Anonymous]

Schools should be required to be screen free the entire day. EdTech is a disaster for learning. It's not like back in the day when tech was something you had to learn to use. These days, even Gorillas and chipanzees can use Ipads! https://www.wired.com/2012/05/orangutans-use-the-ipad/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One can thank Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell for much of that decline.

Yes, I highly recommend "Sold a Story" for anyone who hasn't listened to it. Honestly, my kids go to a "good" public who teaches the science of reading but I feel like I need to teach my OWN kids because kids do slip through the cracks and part of why a good public is good is that the parents are teaching kids at home. Not just reading but math too.

Agreed. It was a good podcast and definitely made it clear how so many kids slipped through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One can thank Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell for much of that decline.

Other disasters:
1. print first then cursive, followed by replacement of cursive with typing
2. de-emphasizing wrote memorization particularly multiplication table/math facts
3. technology in the classroom
5. mainstreaming special needs kids in the classroom
6. not expelling for academic underperformance and repeat behavior problems
7. not requiring chapter books to be read from cover-to-cover
8. finally and most controversially: whining about test prep. Some would call preparing for an exam studying (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). If it is a well-written exam there is nothing wrong with teaching to it!

I agree with some of your points -- mostly the lack of memorization, technology, and chapter books.

Test prep, I agree -- if a teacher writes a test, it's fine to drill and prepare the kids to pass it. It's the relentless of standardized testing, and the pressure on teachers to make every kid pass, that made this go too far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Computers, social media and lack of printed newspapers and easy entertainment are to blame. Even I can't read the longer more intense novels I used to as a teen in the 90s.

+1

My kids were taught phonics and are good readers (excellent, compared to their peers) but their reading stamina is much lower than mine was at their age. And my reading stamina now is much less than it was 10 years ago. We can blame Lucy Calkins and 3-cueing, which harmed a large number of children. But even the best students, and adults, today are harmed by phones, computers, social media, shorts/reels/vines, etc.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot wrong with elementary education, but I think the home environment can make up for it. My 2nd grader reads for hours after struggling as a kindergartener. People cannot believe his reading stamina.
I credit putting in a home library, modeling reading for pleasure and enrichment, and getting rid of screen time. We have no video games or iPads here and only watch tv occasionally… maybe twice a month. He gets plenty of screen time at school, at friends’ houses, restaurants, parties, and get togethers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools should be required to be screen free the entire day. EdTech is a disaster for learning. It's not like back in the day when tech was something you had to learn to use. These days, even Gorillas and chipanzees can use Ipads! https://www.wired.com/2012/05/orangutans-use-the-ipad/

If there was one thing I could fire into the sun, it would be EdTech.

[Anonymous]

Any idea how other countries are doing literacy wise and as readers? When I went to Seoul, Korea this year, phones were ubiquitous and even younger kids had them. Would like to know how East Asian countries and Western European kids are doing. Don’t they use screens in school?

[Anonymous]

I found a paper I'd written as a third grader and almost died. I was so articulate compared to my current third grader (who is not considered behind). He could not have written even close to what I'd written, and I was by no means a genius or over achiever. The standards have shifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Computers, social media and lack of printed newspapers and easy entertainment are to blame. Even I can't read the longer more intense novels I used to as a teen in the 90s.

It's not just kids. Adults are scoring lower in reading comprehension as well. It started, for kids and adults, in 2012/2013, although the pandemic exacerbated it. (In 2012, 4G LTE was rolling out nationwide and we went from slow 3G smartphones to fast 4G smartphones. And that was it.)

But, but, Lucy Calkins!