Instead of teaching social justice to children, I believe teaching them how to read is far more important (“How Really to Be an Antiracist,” City Journal, Spring 2022). Their entire future depends overwhelmingly on that single skill.
Yet “worship of the written word” has become synonymous with white supremacy. It shortchanges children starting as early as the third grade. Charter schools post far better reading outcomes because they largely rely on phonics, which has proved itself time and again the most efficient way to help students to read.
The reading wars will never abate because it is ideologically driven. That’s a pity because it leaves too many children far behind.
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theedhed.com 