The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions

Jeff McQuillan has hopeful news for anyone concerned with the state of reading in U.S. schools: Contrary to popular belief, reading achievement has not been declining over the past three decades; U.S. students are not among the worst readers in the world; there is no epidemic of "reading disabilities"; and holistic, progressive approaches to literacy education have not been a wholesale failure. What's more, children are reading at the same or better level than they did a generation ago.

These are not idle claims but facts that the author supports with statistical evidence - all clearly and accessibly presented. The real problem, according to McQuillan, is a simple lack of books. While educators are engaged in the "Great Debate" over whole language or phonics-based approaches, our schools and libraries have been poorly and inequitably supplied. "While instruction can profoundly influence children and their approach to reading," says McQuillan, "the best way to explain large-scale differences in reading achievement is first to focus on the access to reading materials."

Offering a thorough explanation of the key variables in learning how to read, McQuillan identifies those elements that have the greatest impact. His lucid explanation of the Goodman/Smith reading model is complemented by a point-by-point refutation of the current pro-phonics/skills arguments that have swept schools and statehouses across the country.

Who will benefit from this book? Teachers seeking new perspective on the "reading wars." Administrators struggling to balance curriculum needs with the demand for standardized achievement tests. Parents concerned about the quality of education. In short, anyone concerned with the state of reading in America owes it to themselves - and our children - to investigate The Literacy Crisis.

VOYA

McQuillan looks at all the research, examines statistical evidence, and concludes that claims of declining reading achievement and increasing learning disabilities are false. He also looks at both sides of the phonetics versus whole language arguments about teaching reading, and concludes that neither is the panacea asserted by believers of one or the other strategy. He concludes that the real problems are lack of access to a rich environment of print materials; lack of places and opportunities to read; and lack of student choice in what they read.

The author's findings, based as they are on an exhaustive search of the literature, including The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement by Lance, Wellborn, and Hamilton-Pennell (HiWillow Research, 1997) and Krashen's The Power of Reading (Libraries Unlimited, 1992/VOYA October

Jeff McQuillan is currently an Assistant Professor of Education at California State University, Fullerton. He has published widely in the areas of literacy development, first and second language acquisition, and bilingualism.