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.
Reading
How the Shutdown Affected Student Performance: Killington VT Improved (part 4 of 8)
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
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.
The Granhattan Project: 95% Literacy By 2030
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”
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
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’?
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
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!’
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
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’ “
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
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.
Middle School Summer Reading or Blatant Propaganda?
“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
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’”
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
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
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.