Reading Archives - Granite Grok

ROPER: Kids Can’t Read, Democrat Politicians Don’t Care

May 17, 2026 Rob Roper

There is a political spat brewing under the Golden Dome regarding a $700,000 appropriation – or lack thereof – for a childhood literacy program called Read Vermont. In a nutshell, the program funds “literary coaches” who train teachers how to use phonics, phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to teach kids how to read. This … Read more

open book window reading original Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash

PAYNE: Stealing the Mind of a Nation

February 14, 2026 Russ Payne

The prophetic words of German playwright, poet, and philosopher Friedrich Schiller 1759-1805 pinpointed what has gradually happened in American public schools over the past hundred years: “ It is criminal to steal a purse, daring to steal a fortune, a mark of greatness to steal the mind of a nation), The blame diminishes as the … Read more

PAYNE: Crimes of Educators

February 12, 2026 Russ Payne

Parents, your leaders have paid a high price for failure. The United States spends over $900 billion annually on K-12 education. Funds controlled by the Education Mafia (the “EM”), the creators and the administrators of the psychological poison that indoctrinates our children with the curricula created by UNESCO and the Department of Education, chosen textbooks, … Read more

CALL TO ACTION: Support Reading Literacy in New Hampshire

March 23, 2024 Ann Marie Banfield

Representative Lorie Ball is currently proposing legislation that targets improving reading education for all students in New Hampshire. I urge you to watch her presentation before the House Education Committee on March 5th, 2024. She explains the problems with reading instruction in our public schools, and then how some changes could positively impact reading proficiency for students.

How the Shutdown Affected Student Performance: Killington VT Improved (part 4 of 8)

September 17, 2023 Jody Underwood

As presented in earlier installments, student performance in reading all over the United States, including New Hampshire and Vermont, has been poor for decades, with over half of students reading below grade level.

If Black Lives Mattered They’d Be Demanding Reading Proficiency not Reparations

September 3, 2023September 3, 2023 Steve MacDonald

Ian Underwood has a great article on education priorities. He talks about the goals for which schools and their advocates (parents, lawmakers, taxpayers, society) should strive. That if you teach kids to read, they can then learn anything.

Reading education sunset Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The Granhattan Project: 95% Literacy By 2030

December 14, 2023September 2, 2023 Ian Underwood

For any enterprise to succeed, it has to take actions that will move it toward its goal. Perhaps more importantly, it has to say no to actions that won’t do that.

“How The Left Destroyed Reading in the United States”

November 12, 2024August 14, 2023 Op-Ed

Parents who want to avoid Reading Problems with their children and adults who never read for pleasure because they are Victims of Dick and Jane should listen to Hal Shurtleff’s Latest Podcast:

The Right to Read

August 6, 2023August 5, 2023 Jody Underwood

There’s a new idea that’s being thrown around these days — the science of reading. I cringe at the phrase because it sounds like just another gimmick to fix things in schools, but the research actually seems to be pretty good.

What Do We Mean by ‘Shall Ensure’?

July 12, 2023 Ian Underwood

RSA 193-H:2 says flat out that: Schools shall ensure that all pupils are performing at the proficient level or above on the statewide assessment as established in RSA 193-C.

Trust the Experts

July 6, 2023 Ian Underwood

You might have heard that in Croydon, our superintendent admitted, on two separate occasions, in public, that even for $1 million per student per year, he wouldn’t be able to teach the two dozen kids in the Croydon Village School (CVS) to read.

The NH Library Trustees Association Met Yesterday to Talk about Reading? Nope – ‘Social Justice!’

May 10, 2023 Op-Ed

Where is the reading? And where’s the age-appropriate consideration for curriculum?

In the included images, we see the conference agenda from the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association spring 2023 conference and annual meeting.

Using Outrage to Protect Incompetence

December 28, 2022 Ian Underwood

I recently had lunch with a group of people who are concerned about the problems that we’re having with public schools, and who wanted to discuss ways to do something about those problems.

” Johnny Can’t Read or Do Math, but Philanthropists Are Making Sure He Learns ‘Equity’ “

December 8, 2022 Ann Marie Banfield

I really have nothing more to add to this article, so I will just post it here in hopes more people read it. Everyone needs to read this!!

President Trump has Been Canceled by My Public School

October 12, 2022 Op-Ed

Imagine you begin to question your child’s IN SCHOOL reading app for its content, so you start searching around to see what you find. I found graphic porn in the book “Flamer,” and was upset and surprised, but this wasn’t the most upsetting thing I found.

Stamped-Jason-Reynolds-Ibram-X.-Kendi-BookDragon

Middle School Summer Reading or Blatant Propaganda?

July 8, 2022

“It’s not happening in my kid’s school.”

“That type of indoctrination only happens in the big cities.”

“New Hampshire’s schools aren’t promoting these types of things… are they?”

“No one is coming for your children.”

Heartbroken in Croydon

April 7, 2022 Ian Underwood

At most of the school board meetings that have followed the recent right-sizing of Croydon’s school budget, at least one parent has expressed a thought that simply breaks my heart:

“Study: Historic Drop in U.S. Reading and Math Scores Since Common Core ‘Debacle’”

April 29, 2020 Skip

That’s the headline over at Breitbart. Like anyone is really surprised that a system of learning and content that was never really beta tested would have turned out as awful as we all saw it to be? It was Edu-babble supreme and only succeeded in one thing – separating parents from being able to help … Read more

Pro Tip for Remote Schooling

April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 Ian Underwood

Many students — and their parents — have been caught off guard by the COVID-induced transition from on-site schooling to remote schooling. However, there is a technology — which many students already have access to — that can help make up for the loss of classroom teaching time. Let me describe what it is, and how it works.

“Productive” Board of Education Meetings in Nashua: No Data, No Discussion, No Debate

January 8, 2020 Doris Hohensee

Last night the Nashua Board of Education held its first meeting of the year. Despite welcoming five new Board members, the Board was able to quickly approve an additional budget item of $693,568 for K-5 reading materials. As we all know, reading is an important life skill.