Most of us assume that every child who goes to school learns to read, write, and spell. It’s natural, right? Wrong. Researchers reveal that while the brain is hard-wired for speech, reading must be taught. And learning the correlation between the sounds of words and their representation on the page can be a struggle for far too many bright and motivated students.
In Santa Barbara Unified School District, like so many other school districts across the country, only 50 percent of students are proficient readers. This includes students in the critical primary grades as well as those in junior and senior high school. And in some subgroups, the results are far worse. Most struggling students are not “reluctant readers,” and a “wait and see” strategy simply postpones proper intervention.
The consequences of this low literacy range from poor self-esteem over academic challenges to far worse socio-emotional and behavioral issues that can last a lifetime. Fortunately, cognitive researchers can provide answers to this untenable situation.
I was shocked when my own child unexpectedly had difficulty reading. Like so many others I simply assumed reading would come as easily to him as it did to me. But times have changed since I was taught fundamental reading skills. And for many years, here in Santa Barbara—and across the nation—the prevalent approach to reading instruction was known as “balanced literacy.” This flawed theory promotes the belief that children will learn to read if they’re surrounded by good literature and encouraged to guess at unfamiliar words; it is at odds with the settled science of how the brain learns to read.
Beginning in school year 2023-2024, SBUSD has made a positive step forward in moving beyond the “balanced literacy” approach and adopted new reading curriculum based on the Science of Reading. This approach will address the mastery of several skills that have not been explicitly taught in our classrooms for far too long. They include knowledge of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, along with understanding how to manipulate language, development of background knowledge and building confidence.
Successful implementation of this science-based approach will be a lengthy process, requiring a good deal of professional development and support of educators. Members of the Santa Barbara Reading Coalition have dedicated many hours over many months to studying the strategies and characteristics of school districts making the successful transition from balanced literacy to the more complicated, yet more effective, structured approach to teaching reading.
In addition, they have consulted with literacy leaders throughout California and across the nation to learn directly what they recommend and support, to assist with the successful implementation here in Santa Barbara. This site provides a wealth of resources to help parents and community members learn more about the art and science of reading instruction. Additionally, the organization serves as a voice in the community speaking to the importance of literacy for every one of us.
I am pleased to be an advisor to this important this group of parents, educators, and community leaders who are committed to improving literacy in our community so that our children can reach their full potential. I urge you to join with us, working together to learn, to share, and to support each other and our educators to ensure that every child has the right to read.
