The cause of American illiteracy isn't COVID, 'confusing teaching methods', 'implicit biases', 'lack of consistent access to reading' [whatever that means], or smartphones.
Notice what The Stern Center, Reading is Fundamental, The Reading Team, The National Literacy Institute, and all the other insightless saviorists don't tell you: the cause of American illiteracy is parental neglect. That's it. It's what it always has been and what it always will be. To quote the brilliant child psychologist Alice Miller, “Sparing the parents is our supreme law.” Parental neglect is actionable. Legislation exists to prosecute illiteracy as child endangerment, but mawkish blame-games will always forestall this.
American illiteracy isn't just a mental health issue, it's a national security threat.
Kids have to fix this problem on their own - and they're perfectly capable of doing so.
Illiteracy is just an engineering problem and the easiest way out of it is up: Overhead in Bed turns the simple act of reading upside down.
According to reading remediation specialists, all a kid needs to learn to read well are phonics skills and compelling material. Sanctuary from his insecure environment gives him what he needs.
The sin of low expectations is also a hindrance. Would a kid prefer to learn how stealth planes are invisible to radar or how hypersonic missiles travel at five times the speed of sound - or would he be more enthusiastic about Dr. Seuss' rhyming rabbits? Can a young girl commiserate with Anna Karenina that love is a curse [in a YA version] – or would she be more enthused with the 'controlled vocabulary' of baby books in her public school curriculum?
The mechanics are transformative. So is the outcome. Afford a kid some noiseless privacy, provide him with reading material that fascinates him, turn reading on its head, then watch what happens. The kids get As, their parents get Fs.
If you Google 'the literacy crisis', this is what comes up:
“There is a significant literacy crisis in America today. Twenty-five million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently (based on an analysis of NAEP test scores).”
“In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders and 30% of eighth graders were proficient readers.”
“Children who don't develop literacy skills by kindergarten are three times more likely to drop out of school.” [This is portentous and misleading. And insulting. It's never too late for anything.]
“Literacy rates are especially low for Black, Latino, and multilingual students, as well as students with disabilities.”
“Adults
In 2024, 21% of adults in the US are illiterate
54% of adults have literacy below a 6th-grade level
Low literacy costs the US up to $2.2 trillion per year “
“Causes
The COVID-19 pandemic worsened literacy rates
Confusing teaching methods
Implicit biases
Lack of consistent access to reading
Smartphones, which can interfere with focus”
“Solutions
Early Intervention and tutoring
Equitable access to reading
Teaching methods that are not confusing
Addressing implicit biases
Creating a shared vision of reading success for all students”