There are numerous scholars and researchers discussing how to improve literacy in America. These range from advocates for the utilization of the traditional phonics pedagogy to the advocates of the whole language pedagogy to myriad other advocates for other ways to improve literacy among our children. Two articles that I will discuss further in this blog post were written by Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005), who rely heavily on Diane Ravitch (2000), and Au, Raphael, and Mooney (2008). The approach discussed by Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005) is at times broader in scope than the work by Au, Raphael, and Mooney (2008), whose approach focuses more on the level of the school.
Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005) discuss seven ways to improve the state of literacy among students in our classrooms. These seven recommendations are as follows:
“1) Start Early (before children begin school)
2) Promote Effective Parenting
3) Provide Uniformly High-Quality Childcare Experiences for Children
4) Foster Children’s Self-Regulation as well as their Literacy Skills
5) Strive for Individualized Instruction
6) Enhance the Quality and Status of Teachers
7) Promote Ongoing Dialogue and Interaction between Researchers and Teachers” (Morrison et al. 2005).
The authors discuss the importance of emphasizing literacy early with children and beginning to read out-loud to children as soon as possible. This requires parents who are devoted to helping their children succeed, but also requires quality early childhood education for all students. We need to help students acquire important literacy skills as early in their development as possible and continue to support them as they develop. Ravitch (2000) also advocates for allowing students to take more control of their education, connecting to Morrison et al.’s (2005) argument for increased self-regulation among children. Finally, our society needs to begin to value teaching more as a profession in order to attract more highly qualified teachers to the field. Teaching is an integral part to our society, and one of the best ways to solve the problem of illiteracy is by recruiting more highly knowledgeable and passionate teachers to the field.
While the recommendations posed by Morrison et al (2005) are valuable to understanding ways to improve literacy in America, Au et al. (2008) further discusses ways to improve literacy by providing a specific strategy for schools to implement to improve literacy. The seven steps for this strategy are:
“1) Recognizing a Need
2) Organizing for Change
3) Working on the Building Blocks
4) Moving as a Whole School
5) Establishing the System
6) Implementing the Staircase Curriculum
7) Fully Engaging Students and Families” (Au et al. 2008).
To begin to improve literacy in schools, administrators and teachers must recognize the problem and work together to solve it. They must also consider working with other outside organizations (such as those listed in an earlier blog post) to further strengthen the support for improving literacy. The most important part of this process is creating what the authors define as a “staircase curriculum”. The authors define a staircase curriculum by stating, “Teachers create literacy curriculum guides that define progress at each grade level in terms of “steps” on a coherent “staircase” curriculum” (Au et al 2008). To create this curriculum, the teachers at a school first work together to assess their students and their current curriculum and determine what practices are working best and what practices are not working. The teachers then design a curriculum around the strengths of the old curriculum and look for ways to bolster and support these current strengths. The authors, much like Morrison et al (2005), also advocate for fully engaging parents in the process of literacy education because parental support is integral to help students achieve.
Authors of both articles provide excellent recommendations for improving literacy in America. Beginning literacy education early, as well as fully engaging parents in the process, is integral to promote literacy acquisition among our students. In addition, allowing teachers and researchers to work together to discover new pedagogies and techniques provides teachers with the autonomy and respect they need to further work to solve the issue of illiteracy. Ultimately, the solution to childhood illiteracy will require students, teachers, parents, researchers, and communities to work together towards the goal of literacy for all students.
10. Morrison, F.J., Bachman, H.J., & Connor, C.M. (2005). Improving literacy in America. Improving literacy in America (pp. 173-184). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
11. Au, K.H., Raphael, T.E., & Mooney, K.C. (2008). What we have learned about teacher education to improve literacy achievement in urban schools. Improving literacy achievement in urban schools: Critical elements in teacher preparation (pp. 159-184). International Reading Association.
12. Ravitch, D. (2000). Left back: A century of battles over school reform. New York: Touchstone.
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