Reading failure (Part 1)

This article written in 2015 was linked to a tweet I read two days ago and you can read it here

Here are some extract and my comments.

For a significant minority in EVERY class the challenge is greater. They don’t read well. Unfamiliar words can’t be guessed and their ability to decode is weak. To read even one of my short texts will take an inordinate time. Not one of them would have been counted in government measures for weak literacy. According to the statistics, the biggest problem I face day in, day out as I teach A level history simply doesn’t exist. Believe me, it exists and there is a real human cost to this hidden reading failure.

Phonological awareness and phonics -Part 2

                                                         

Teachers are struggling to teach kids to read. Around 20% of kids in many countries where English is taught can barely read in English.

In the US in January 2001, President George W. Bush announced his plan called “No Child Left Behind”.

Now, in 2015 after 15 years the percentage of children who can barely read in English remains the same as it was in 2001 which again was the same as it was in the 70’s.

The main thing kids do in school is learn to read, and when they don't, they feel stupid. So how can we prevent reading failure?