In the US, more than half of students from grades 3 to 8 are not proficient readers, prompting New York City to require schools to change their teaching methods for the upcoming school year.
David C. Banks, Director of the New York City Department of Education , made the announcement earlier this week. According to the announcement, the way reading is taught in the city's 700 public schools will change 180 degrees, from teaching children to guess words using picture clues to teaching phonics-based reading.
The old method of teaching reading was deemed unscientific and "flawed" by the head of New York's education department, leading schools to teach students to read incorrectly for the past two decades.
According to Banks, many places face similar situations. In Detroit, 91% of students at all levels are not proficient in reading, while in Chicago it is 80%. In New York, if you consider only students of color and Hispanic students, the rate of reading incompetence is also above 63%.
Mr. Banks argued that this has many consequences, citing the fact that 70% of adults arrested by police have reading abilities below the fourth grade level.
The methods of teaching reading in New York City public schools over the past two decades have been criticized as flawed. (Illustration: The New York Times)
Over the next two years, the city's 32 school districts, comprising more than 700 schools, will adopt one of three reading curricula: Wit & Wisdom, Expeditionary Learning, and Into Reading. However, all must use the same teaching methodology.
Half of the school districts will begin the new program in September, while the rest will launch in 2024. However, about 20 schools are being considered for exemptions because more than 85% of their students are proficient readers.
This is a major change because previously, principals had the autonomy to decide on teaching methods. This is considered a major overhaul of reading instruction in New York City since the early 2000s.
David C. Banks, Director of the New York City Department of Education. Photo: The New York Times
The New York Department of Education's plan received support from teachers' unions but was opposed by many principals. Henry Rubio, head of the principals' association, said it had "no pedagogical basis."
"We don't believe that implementing a single curriculum is the way to achieve the city's important goals," Rubio stated.
Some teachers are concerned that major changes often come with inadequate training.
However, Mr. Banks believes the changes will make things easier. Teacher training will begin in mid-May and continue throughout the summer so that they can return to school in the fall fully prepared.
Dawn (According to New York Times, CBS News )
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