New York City public schools have long struggled with abysmally low literacy rates among their students. Will adopting a more evidence-based reading curriculum be enough to create improvement?

This week, Naomi and Ian are joined by Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at AEI and scholar of K-12 education, to discuss the science of reading. A former 5th grade teacher himself, Robert recounts his experience with the whole language curriculum in New York City schools, memorably dubbed “vibes-based” literacy by the New York. It centers a student’s interest in reading over the building blocks of literacy themselves. Robert discusses a recent announcement that New York schools would be switching to one of three new scientifically-backed reading programs, explaining both the hope and potential challenges that come with adopting the new framework.

Resources

- Getting Reading Right | Robert Pondiscio

- What Do Parents Need to Know About the Science of Reading? | Robert Pondiscio

Show Notes

0:01:00 | What is the science of reading and why should we be glad education leaders are embracing it?

0:04:03 | What have teachers been taught about literacy in the past, and what is the truth being rediscovered now?

0:08:57 | How difficult will it be to re-train teachers on these new curricula?

0:11:30 | How can we help teachers understand that knowledge-building must be a part of teaching reading?

0:16:21 | Can anything be done for students who have already missed the early years of proper literacy teaching?

0:19:37 | How long will it take to start seeing improvement in test scores and performance?

0:28:59 | Do you have hopes for the introduction of AI into teaching and education?