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READING — — WHEN WILL IT BE PRIORITY # 1

August 3, 2014 by Tunya

Correlation Equals Causation In Illiteracy-Prison Equation

Doesn’t matter how much evidence LD advocacy groups present to governments and school systems about the connections, they are ignored.  They refuse to act on the ONE factor that will drastically reduce prison populations, prison recidivism, homelessness, university remedial courses in the basics for incoming students, etc. — READING ABILITY. 

There must be SOME reason teachers and ed systems REFUSE TO COMMIT to teaching reading to ALL students.

Is it because it’s not politically “progressive” to teach reading by direct instruction rather than guessing? Is it because the English language is hard, with many exceptions to easy rules?  What is it?

I have a dozen books before me on — NOT “Literacy” but ILLITERACY.  There are more out there.  Maybe someone knows why this resistance.

Here is another take on the school-to prison pipeline.  This is in the US, but applicable here.

Should State Funding Go to School Books or Orange Jumpsuits?  http://dailysignal.com/2014/08/02/state-funding-go-school-books-orange-jumpsuits/

Though this does not point to illiteracy but to poor education in the story, a reader does point to more research on the topic.  J E Stone from Education Consumers Clearinghouse says:  “Take a look at our cost of our schooling failure calculator: http://www.education-consumers.org/Calc/  It sums the cost of not just prison (included in Public Safety), but welfare, healthcare, and future education costs.”

This calculator determines the cost of Third Grade Reading Failure by state. Students who can’t read by the end of third grade pay an enormous price but so do taxpayers.

For every student who fails to master reading, the public is saddled with what amounts to a hidden annual surtax imposed at the local, state, and federal levels – one that cumulates with each succeeding class of students.

Even with such persuasive accurate instruments:  Why is there no concentrated action on Reading?

In the Health field if there was this epidemic the correlation-causation equation would urgently trigger action.  What will it take?


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