| letter to the NYTimes Richard Allington on Teaching Grammar/Drill and Kill Jan 3 2003 >Editor: >One can hope that Chancellor Klein has a clearer understanding of the >research on effective reading instruction than those who wrote the "Reading >in the New Year". There is no research that suggests that 4 of 10 kids need >structured drill and practice. None. There is no research that suggests that >adopting a single reading program in a large system such as the New York City >schools improves achievement. None. But there is a trove of scientific >research that demonstrates the power of expert reading instruction. And >another trove showing that as many as 4 of 10 children will need intensive, >expert reading support in addition to high-quality classroom instruction. The >most successful intervention studies funded by the National Institute of >Child Health and Development provided one-to-one expert tutoring in reading >for periods ranging from one semester to two and one-half years, usually in >the primary grades. These studies form the basis for the policies that frame >the No Child Left Behind Act. > >There simply is no evidence that buying a new reading program with added >structured drill and practice will improve reading in New York City schools. >In fact, the least successful school districts in the nation, those in the >southeastern region and California, have used this sort of curriculum >standardization for decades producing reading results far below those found >in the Northeast and Midwest where such standardization policies have been >rare. > >The scientific fallacy of a "proven program" has been repeatedly demonstrated >by researchers for a half century. Is there anything less scientific than a >"one-size-fits-all" mandated program -- expecially in a city as diverse as >New York? As the authors of the 1960's national study of effective reading >programs told us, it is the teacher that matters far more than the program. >Expert teachers create readers and writers. Inexpert teachers create >problems. The program used is relatively unimportant compared to the >expertise of the teacher. That is the scientific fact. We can hope that >Chancellor Klein will do better interpreting the research than the editorial >writer(s) and that the major investments will be in developing much larger >numbers of expert teachers of reading and funding for tutoring of every child >who needs it. > >Richard L. Allington, PhD >Irving and Rose Fein Professor of Education >University of Florida >2414 Norman Hall >352 338 8363 (H)
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