When the phonograms and rules of English are taught in a systematic manner through solid, multimodality teaching methods that develop visual muscle memory, prevent reversals, and address the needs of all types of learners, we will be on our way to solving the literacy crisis for all its current victims and preventing it in future generations. The logic of English needs to be taught from the very beginning of every child's education so that everyone can succeed.

Denise EideUncovering the Logic of English

You Are Not Alone, The Literacy Crisis Affects All of Us

43 million Americans have low literacy skills and many others know someone who struggles with reading. Now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are struggling to read more than ever.

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Map of the United States reflecting 8th grade proficiency scores by state, all of which are below 50%, directly contributing to our nation-wide literacy problem.

8th Grade Reading Proficiency Rates by State 2022

Explore the data in your state.

Illiteracy Impacts Every Aspect of Our Society

Illiteracy impacts millions of people daily and is connected to almost every socioeconomic issue in the United States. It affects physical and mental health, employment opportunities, and quality of life. It impacts our classrooms, our workforce, our sense of community and belonging.

Reading is Crucial. Fundamental. Necessary.

Yet, 130 million American adults read below the 6th-grade level. The lack of resources, knowledge, and tools has created an epidemic that has been overlooked for many years.

Together we can reverse the literacy crisis facing America today.

Researchers have demonstrated that virtually all children can learn to read when using methods based on the Science of Reading. We believe everyone should have access to accurate phonograms and spelling rules, which are the key to decoding and spelling.

In 2000, the National Reading Panel reviewed over 100,000 studies and came to the conclusion that there are five essential skills to teach reading: phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. If these skills are incorporated into our language arts programs, our students will learn to read and write.

Discover the 5 Essential Skills of Reading.

Teaching letter-sound correspondences is the fastest way to develop the neural pathways associated with skilled reading.

Learn more about How the Brain Learns to Read.

References

"Average Prose, Document and Quantitative Literacy Scores of Adults: 1992 and 2003." National Center for Education Statistics, n.d. https://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp#1.

Dehaene, Dr. Stanislas. 2013. "Lecture by Dr. Stanislas Dehaene on 'Reading the Brain.'" April 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSy685vNqYk.

Dehaene, Stanislas. 2010. Reading in the Brain. Penguin Books.

Eide, Denise. 2012. Uncovering the Logic of English. Second. Minnesota: Logic of English.

Langan, Patrick A., and David J. Levin. "Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994." Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice, June 2002. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/rpr94.pdf.

"Literacy Behind Prison Walls." National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education, October 1994. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs94/94102.pdf.

Music, Emily. "Teaching Literacy in Order to Turn the Page on Recidivism." JL & Educ. 41 (2012): 723.

Seidenberg, Mark. 2018. Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It. Basic Books.

Twyman, Janet S. "Faultless communication: The heart and soul of DI." Perspectives on Behavior Science 44, no. 2 (2021): 169-193.