The following blog post presents important information from the online magazine Parents by Spencer Russell and published July 10, 2023.
On the first day of first grade, wearing a light blue button-down, a navy tie, and an eager grin, I walked through the door to Mrs. Snow’s classroom. It would take only a few short weeks for that smile to fade—exactly as long as it took for me to be assigned to the “slow group.”
Teachers Aren’t the Solution to America’s Literacy Crisis—Parents Are
Spencer Russell, award-winning educator and founder of Toddlers CAN Read, says that parents are the key to narrowing academic gaps within a broken system.
On the first day of first grade, wearing a light blue button-down, a navy tie, and an eager grin, I walked through the door to Mrs. Snow’s classroom. It would take only a few short weeks for that smile to fade—exactly as long as it took for me to be assigned to the “slow group.”
To be clear, I wassmart. What I wasn’t, was a good reader.
It wasn’t for lack of trying, though. Despite my frustration, overwhelm, and embarrassment over being clearly behind my classmates, I did exactly what Mrs. Snow advised: “Keep trying!”
It turns out, “trying” isn’t an effective way to learn how to read. Neither is (surprise!) being surrounded by books, being read to, going to the library, or watching one’s parents read. As researchers Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher explain, “Reading is a complex, rule-based system that must be imposed on biological structures that were designed or evolved for other reasons.”
In other words, reading can’t be caught. It can only be taught.
And most kids won’t get “caught up.” In fact, kids who start behind in school tend to stay behind. That’s not my opinion; it’s a documented fact: 60% of third graders don’t meet grade-level expectations for reading, and 43 million American adults have low literacy skills. The problem is getting worse, not better, with the 2022 National Association for Educational Progress report revealing the lowest 8th-grade reading scores since 1998.
Thankfully, I was one of the lucky kids. My dad showed up to parent-teacher conferences in a suit and tie, expecting to be taken seriously and prepared to advocate for me. I got to attend good schools. Both my parents worked with me at home. My reading improved dramatically, I got my high school diploma, and I graduated from a prestigious college.
It wasn’t until I walked into my own classroom as an educator with Teach for America that I understood just how different my story might’ve been. Don’t get me wrong: I knew the realities of systemic injustice and inequitable structures. But it wasn’t until I was standing at the front of a room full of wide-eyed kids that I felt the full weight of what was at stake. The odds were stacked against all of us—students and teachers alike.
After six years in the classroom, dozens of visits to my students’ homes, and countless sleepless nights, I accepted what I suspected: Teachers aren’t the solution to America’s literacy crisis. Parents are.
Here’s what I mean: Many teachers have plenty of give-a-damn and do the best they can. But all teachers operate within a broken system: unreasonable student-teacher ratios, outdated curricula, poor or nonexistent professional development, behavioral challenges educators simply aren’t trained or equipped to navigate, chronic underfunding, and more.
And while white and higher-income kids often have access to better schools, higher-quality teachers, superior curricula, tutors, test prep programs, and other academic support to plug educational leaks, many Black, brown, and low-income kids simply don’t.
What many of those kids do have is their parents. They have you.
So, today, I want to urge you to take control of your child’s reading education. Here’s how.
Believe the Evidence
There is an overwhelming body of research that shows academic gaps exist and persist for families like mine and like yours. And please don’t kid yourself. While I’m sure your child is terrific, they’re not special enough to be the exception to a systemic rule. No child is.
Start Now
Many kids can start learning to read as young as 18 months old. Despite what you may have heard from parenting “influencer” accounts on social media, there’s absolutely no reason—developmental or otherwise—for kids to wait until kindergarten to learn to read. Developmental “appropriateness” has more to do with how you teach than what you teach. (Note: If you want to wait, that’s your choice. But consider the research carefully.)
Teach Phonics
While many parents trust schools to teach their kids to read, many teachers in those schools teach their own children how to read at home. Why? Because many school districts are behind the ball, using outdated, ineffective curricula and strategies. Effective strategies are those that use phonics and teach children to first understand letter sounds.
To be clear, the literacy crisis in America isn’t just about reading. It’s about what reading unlocks. When kids read well from the get-go, they do better in school from the start. Strong academics mean more opportunities down the road. And more opportunities mean more options.
In other words, when kids read well, they get to choose their life. Too many Black, brown, and low-income kids don’t get that chance. With your help, yours can.