Feb 9, 20207 min read

Let’s Call it What it is... Educational Malpractice

Updated: Feb 12, 2020

More than 60 percent of fourth-graders in the United States are functionally illiterate. This means their reading abilities so low that they cannot function in our society. 🔗 Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and the cause for this epidemic. Surprisingly, many dyslexics are not aware of their condition because our culture has conditioned educators and parents to accept the erroneous fact that “some children just aren’t good readers.” This is a dangerous myth that can have catastrophic consequences for dyslexic individuals.

What is dyslexia?

The most simplistic definition of dyslexia is “an unexpected, unexplained difficulty for one to learn to read.” The Mayo Clinic writes, “Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called reading disability, dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language. People with dyslexia have normal intelligence and usually have normal vision,” (Mayo Clinic Staff, nd). 🔗

As many as 20 percent of people are dyslexic. Dyslexia is often a lifelong condition, but if it is addressed at ANY AGE, dyslexia can be overcome. If it is not addressed, dyslexics may never become competent readers, setting them up to be a statistic.

The Truth: The Reading Crisis Impacts Everyone

It costs you money.
It impacts your family.
It impacts your community.
It impacts your country.

Let these sobering facts sink in...

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Correlation to Crime

“Students who struggle to read are more likely to drop out of high school, to end up in the criminal justice system, and to live in poverty. 🔗 In fact, 75 percent of state prison inmates did not complete high school or can be classified as low literate, (Rand Report: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education). 🔗 Additionally, a staggering “85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.🔗

Senator Cassidy’s MD, press release (2017) states, “Having treated patients in prisons, I learned that illiteracy often leads someone to turn to a life of crime. Dyslexia is a leading cause of illiteracy, so to address illiteracy and incarceration, we must better address dyslexia.” 🔗 If we are helping prisoners, WHY are we NOT doing this for our students? How many children are in the classroom to prison pipeline?

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Correlation to Teenage Pregnancy

“Poor reading skills may also increase the chances of becoming a teen mom. In one study, 21% of girls with below average reading skills had a child in their early teens, compared to 5% of girls who rated above average.”🔗

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Impact on our Economy

“In terms of lost productivity, it's estimated that the portion of the population that can't read costs the nation a staggering $225 billion each year.” 🔗 Additionally, 90% of welfare recipients dropped out of school and are functionally illiterate. 🔗

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Impact on Health Care Cost

“Being able to read is important to maintaining good health, particularly if you have a serious illness or condition that requires medication or ongoing treatment. When patients lack basic reading skills, it can impact the health care system to the tune of $100 billion annually” 🔗and 46% of adults cannot read the labels on their prescription.”🔗

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Impact on Emotional Health: Anxiety & Depression

It should come as no surprise that individuals with dyslexia develop anxiety and depression. Dyslexia causes one to exert tremendous energy to complete seemingly mundane tasks; as compared

to their nondisabled peers. It is exhausting because reading and writing impact every aspect of daily life, from “communications to the way we work to the food we eat.” 🔗

Medical doctor Samuel Orton, M.D was the first to report dyslexia origins were purely biological and not caused by emotional factors, mental health, or other life struggles (Ryan, 2004).

📕Illiteracy & Dyslexia’s Impact on Mental Health

Lead author of a Candaian study (2017) Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson, of the University of Toronto reports, “Learning disabilities such as dyslexia cast a very long shadow. Adults with learning disabilities still had 46% higher odds of having attempted suicide than their peers without learning problems, even when we took into account a wide range of other risk factors including lifetime history of depression and substance abuse, ADHD, early adversities, age, race, sex, income and education"🔗 Additionally, suicide is the number one killer of teenagers is suicide. When they leave notes, and someone actually analyzes more than 85% have spelling mistakes. 🔗

Note to Reader: Studies have varying statistics regarding the adverse effect of the reading crisis. This is frustrating and may cause one to doubt the legitimacy of the study. It appears that the variances are caused by the labels the study used to arrive at the statistics: illiterate, actually illiterate, Dyslexic, or an individual with a language-based learning disability. Statistical consistency could be achieved if all study examined functionally illiterate: meaning unable to adequately function in society due to deficits in one’s reading abilities.

Failing to teach dyslexic students to read should be considered educational malpractice.

It is pretty simple. There is a scientific remedy proven to work and school refuse to use it. Overwhelming evidence shows that ALL children can learn to read; yet, schools choose to ignore science. This is educational malpractice and noncompliance with federal and state statutes; as schools fail to provide the guaranteed free and appropriate education (FAPE) to all children.

The science of reading (SOR) and dyslexia science are not new. Evidence from 40 years of scientific-research converge to reveal the neurodevelopment, structured way all children learn to read and explains how teachers must use explicit instruction, while integrating all senses. [This starts with phonological awareness and the structured builds from there. This is called structured-literacy (SL).] Additionally, evidence shows SOR/SL is best for English Language Learners (ELL), students living in poverty, and beneficial to ALL students.

The truth is.. children do not ever have to struggle. Older students CAN be remediate, no matter their age. There is a simple solution, but it is ignored (often) because literacy coaches blindly believe the theories they were taught and fail to stay abreast of scientific research.

Schools continue to ignore science. Why?

It is impossible for leaders to know everything, but it is ESSENTIAL that they KNOW enough information in order to ask the right questions, to the right people.

Most school board members and others in positions of power LACK an understanding of the law, the science of reading, and important terminology/jargon. Because of this knowledge gap, decision-makers are easily fooled when “experts” provide them with “research.” This is how people with good intentions make bad decisions.

Even well-intentioned literacy coaches and reading specialists are immersed in antiquated theories (proven ineffective) of Alington, Caulkins, Richardson and continue to use programs such as balances-literacy, the three cueing system, reader’s workshops or leveled text.

International Dyslexia Association reports (2018) “Numerous research studies have demonstrated that teachers in training at most Schools of Education receive insufficient coaching in language structure and reading science, which translates into ineffective reading instruction when they arrive in the classroom. The problem is not limited to teacher training programs at the undergraduate level. Even teachers holding master’s level reading specialist and special education degrees lack a thorough grounding in evidence-based reading knowledge and practice. This has devastating consequences for all students, but especially for the students with dyslexia and other reading struggles.”🔗

The bottom line—- our children are not reading because they are not taught how to read. Schools blame poverty, lack of funding, or the students for the dismal academic achievement. Superintendent Dr. Jack Silva is different. Silva knew something was wrong. The facts did not make sense. He set on a mission to find answers... and that he did. Sadly, there are very few “Jacks” leading our schools. https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read

Schools failure to use science to teach reading cost tax payers more money.

It is infuriating to see the price tag of public education, when money is NOT the cause for our failing schools.

Districts collect millions of taxpayer dollars from the local, state, and federal governments and fail to teach all our children to read. Taxes go up and reading scores are going down. Educational leaders consistently claim they need more money. Wrong. We need to stop feeding the system. The truth is if schools used science to teach reading they would spend LESS money. Take time to look at the cost of special education services in your district. Over 90% of students with IEP (in the regular education classroom) would no longer require services, because their brains would be rewired. That is only the beginning of all the positive changes that would occur.

Schools need to provide teachers with the professional development they need (and deserve) to give them the knowledge and tools required to teach all children to read. Funding should be tied to schools using science to the maximum extent possible. If they are not - then funding should be removed.

Reading is a civil right.

Schools’ failure to use science to teach reading discriminates against those individuals with the most common learning disability, dyslexia. It hurts our children and our teachers.

“Literacy has long been used as a method of social control and oppression. Throughout much of history, the ability to read was something only privileged, upper-class white men were allowed to learn. School wasn’t free like it is today. Education was provided to only a select few, and this preserved a class system that kept the poor powerless and the rich powerful—a practice, we’ll see later in this piece, that continues today.🔗

End discrimination. Know the facts. Let us stop this educational malpractice, one student at a time, one district at a time, one state at a time. #UniteAndFight4Literacy *Check back! Studies will be added, as they come available.