“It is time to start looking at reading problems as breakdowns in teaching. We can’t hold students responsible for learning skills that we do not explicitly teach them.”

“Merely repackaging whole language teaching, which was popularized in the 1980s but has not held up to scientific scrutiny, by adding a sprinkle of phonics here and there is not enough.”

Kyle Redford, 5th grade teacher, Marin Country Day School, San Francisco Bay Area as published in Education Week’s “Explicit Phonics Instruction: It's Not Just for Students With Dyslexia”

Unfortunately, many teachers do not know, or won’t accept, what Redford knows. So, what do you do when your child isn’t being taught to read in his or her school? With school choice, you’d have other options.

Note: Ms. Redford’s candor in her EdWeek post is at once brave, honest and refreshing.