{"id":2180427,"date":"2024-02-20T05:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T10:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cassidy-highlights-literacy-crisis-rooted-in-disproven-teaching-method\/"},"modified":"2024-02-20T05:37:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T10:37:04","slug":"cassidy-highlights-literacy-crisis-rooted-in-disproven-teaching-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cassidy-highlights-literacy-crisis-rooted-in-disproven-teaching-method\/","title":{"rendered":"Cassidy exposes literacy crisis caused by outdated teaching method"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcassidy-highlights-literacy-crisis-rooted-in-disproven-teaching-method%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2180427&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Sen. Bill Cassidy Sounds Alarm on Child Literacy Crisis<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has released a report that highlights the alarming decline in child literacy scores and the ineffective tools used to teach\u200d reading. \u200dThe report reveals that two-thirds of fourth and eighth graders, as well as 63% of 12th graders, lack proficiency in \u200creading. This \u200cis the lowest level in over 20 years for fourth graders and around 30 years for eighth and 12th graders.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The prolonged COVID school closures caused massive harm to our children. Students \u200care <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-mother-who-exposed-pornographic-reading-material-in-curriculum-barred-from-entering-high-school-library\/\" title=\"Virginia Mother Who Exposed Pornographic Reading Material In Curriculum Barred From Entering High School Library\">entering high school<\/a> without the \u200cability to read,&#8221; Cassidy warns. &#8220;If we don&#8217;t improve \u2063literacy levels, the consequences\u2063 will be dire. We must ensure that all students can read proficiently.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d report also highlights stagnant reading scores since 2000,\u2063 according to the Program \u2063for International Student Assessment, \u2062and the recent announcement by the College Board that the average composite ACT score \u200dis at a \u200b32-year low. Only 40% of students met the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/surge-in-education-spending-preceded-record-low-act-scores\/\" title=\"Record low ACT scores followed a surge in education spending.\">college readiness benchmark<\/a> in reading,\u200b a decline of 5% since 2019.<\/p>\n<p>While only four states have surpassed pre-pandemic reading proficiency \u2063levels, Cassidy identifies specific factors that may have contributed to their success. Iowa, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee offered in-person learning \u200dduring the pandemic, and the other three states used a reading \u200cinstruction technique called the &#8220;science \u2064of reading,&#8221; \u200bwhich Cassidy \u2064advocates as a solution \u200dto literacy woes.<\/p>\n<p>However, the &#8220;science of reading&#8221; technique has faced backlash from \u200cteachers and teachers unions, who prefer the &#8220;three-cueing&#8221; teaching style. This style encourages \u2062students to guess words they don&#8217;t know \u200brather than teaching them how\u2063 to \u2064decode \u2062them. The report argues that this approach leads to\u200b memorization rather than providing students with the tools to decode any unknown word they encounter.<\/p>\n<p>Cassidy emphasizes the importance of literacy, stating\u200d that it is the foundation for all \u2062other learning. He warns that without improvement in literacy instruction, an entire generation of children may fail to\u200d become productive adults. The report also highlights the cost of illiteracy to taxpayers and \u200cbusinesses, as well as the\u2063 impact on global competitiveness and national security.<\/p>\n<p>With literacy scores plummeting in the military as \u2062well, Cassidy poses 17 questions to stakeholders to find policy-based solutions and improve literacy.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why does the report emphasize the \u200bimportance of early intervention in addressing the child literacy crisis?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200b Osures\u2063 have exacerbated the existing crisis in \u2064child literacy,&#8221; said \u2063Sen. Cassidy. &#8220;Children \u200care falling behind in their reading skills, and \u200bit is critical that we address\u2063 this issue urgently. \u2064The future of our country \u200cdepends on it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The report, titled &#8220;The State of Child Literacy in America:\u2062 A Call\u2062 to Action,&#8221; delves \u200cinto the various factors that contribute to the decline in\u200d child literacy. \u200bIt identifies outdated and \u200cineffective teaching methods, lack of\u200c access to quality reading materials, \u2064and insufficient teacher training as some of the \u200cmain culprits. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The traditional approach to teaching reading, known as the \u2062&#8217;whole language&#8217; method, has proven to be ineffective \u200cfor many students,&#8221; explained \u2064Sen. Cassidy. &#8220;Instead, \u2064we need to prioritize evidence-based\u200d strategies, such as phonics instruction, which have been shown to improve reading \u200coutcomes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The report emphasizes the importance of early intervention in addressing the child literacy crisis. It calls\u200b for \u2064increased investment in pre-K education and comprehensive literacy programs \u200dthat focus on building foundational reading skills. <\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Sen. Cassidy highlights the need for increased access to high-quality reading materials, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He suggests\u200d implementing initiatives such\u2063 as book drives and partnerships with community libraries\u2063 to ensure every child has access to age-appropriate \u2062and engaging \u2063books.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to addressing the teaching methods \u200band materials, the report also emphasizes\u200c the crucial role of teacher training in improving child literacy outcomes. It\u200c calls for\u200c increased funding and support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-left-is-lying-they-are-peddling-hate-with-crt-in-our-schools\/\" title=\"The Left Is Lying: They Are Peddling Hate With CRT In Our Schools\">professional development programs<\/a> that equip \u2063teachers with the \u200cnecessary skills\u2063 and knowledge to effectively teach reading.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Cassidy&#8217;s report \u2063has drawn attention from \u200beducators, policymakers, and\u200b advocates, who all\u2062 agree on\u200c the urgent need to address \u2062the child literacy crisis. They\u200d stress that improving child literacy \u2063is not only essential\u200d for individual success but is also crucial for the economic prosperity and overall well-being of the nation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We cannot afford to ignore this \u200dcrisis any longer,&#8221; urged Sen. Cassidy. &#8220;We must take immediate action\u200d to ensure that every child receives \u200bthe education and support they need to become proficient\u2063 readers. This means implementing evidence-based teaching strategies, providing \u2062access to quality reading materials, \u200cand investing in teacher training. It is\u200c our duty\u200b to give every child a chance at a brighter \u2064future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Cassidy&#8217;s report serves \u200bas a wake-up call to policymakers, educators, and parents \u200calike. It sheds light on \u200dthe \u2064pressing issue of child literacy and provides a roadmap for\u200b addressing this crisis. Now, it is up to all stakeholders to \u200bcome together, prioritize child literacy, and take the necessary\u200d actions to ensure\u200d that no child is left behind.\u200d Only through coordinated efforts \u200band \u2063a commitment to\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leo-terrell-lauds-morgan-freeman-for-saying-no-to-defund-the-police\/\" title=\"Leo Terrell Lauds Morgan Freeman For Saying No To \u2018Defund The Police\u2019\">evidence-based practices<\/a> can we hope to turn \u200cthe \u2064tide\u2062 and ensure\u2064 a brighter future for our \u200cchildren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee&#8217;s ranking member, issued a report warning about poor child literacy scores and ineffective reading instruction tools. The report, reviewed by the Washington Examiner, emphasized the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress review<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2180428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24039635736508-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2180427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24039635736508-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2180427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2180427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2180427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2180428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2180427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2180427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2180427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}