Why Johnny still can’t read
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
My former colleague at USA Today, Greg Toppo, offers this great piece today.
I haven’t blogged on Beth Fertig’s new book, Why Can’t U Teach Me 2 Read? because I’m still reading it. Toppo was always a fast reader. I was only able to capture part of this article; I suggest going to the link to pick up Greg’s Q&A.
U.S. illiteracy: Why Johnny still can’t read
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
By the time he was 17, Antonio Rocha had bounced among 11 New York City schools and was reading at a first-grade level.
It wasn’t until he told school officials “I want a lawyer!” that things began to change.
STUDY: 1 in 7 U.S. adults can’t read this story
TWITTER: Follow this reporter @gtoppo
With the help of an advocacy group, Rocha pressured the city to pay for 480 hours of private tutoring, which eventually helped him read at a functional level. Now 20 and working for United Parcel Service, he’s one of three people profiled (and the only one comfortable with being identified) in WNYC Radio reporter Beth Fertig’s new book, Why Cant U Teach Me 2 Read?.
“Compensatory education” complaints are increasingly being used by parents who say school districts have a legal responsibility to educate children in spite of disabilities. The 2002 No Child Left Behind law dictated that schools must use “research-based” programs to teach these children to read, says Philadelphia-area attorney Dennis McAndrews. Reading comes naturally for many children, he says, but not for Rocha and others: “Putting print in front of them and hoping they’ll crack the code is useless.”

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