In the first chapter of Readicide the author, Kelly Gallagher presents his theory as to why he thinks that schools today are ruining reading for America students. He believes that the over emphasis placed on standardized test taking is ruining today’s youth, because instead of teaching students to read for deeper understandings or developing independent readers they are focusing purely on teaching kids how to read only to pass standardized tests. Mr. Gallagher postulates that this over emphasis on test taking skills hurts our students in two ways. First, because “a curriculum steeped in multiple-choice test preparation drives shallow teaching and learning.” And Secondly, that the over emphasis on multiple-choice test preparation ensures that struggling readers will continue to struggle (p.8).
I agree with Mr. Gallagher on both points, but I would also have to add a third. That at the secondary level students are not given to opportunity to peruse pleasure reading both in and out of there schools. While I was at my placement this week at Warner Robbins Middle School I had the opportunity to talk to the head librarian, Dr. Little, about the plight of reading in America’s public schools. While she agreed that these tests did little to teach deeper understanding, and did very little to help struggling readers, she also suggested that one of the major problems is that students in High School are not exposed to reading like they are at the elementary and middle school levels. In the lower grades students are actually brought to the library on a weekly basis to look up and check out books for their pleasure. However, when you reach the High School level it is no longer mandatory that student go to their school library. They only go there by choice or if they have to do research for a class project. Dr. Little believes on of the problems is that they do not promote leisure reading at the high school level they way they do when students are younger. When a student reaches high school there are already a myriad of distractions, which take away from their education. We should be seeking to develop students who will be life long learners versus just standardized test takers or short-term learners. One way to do this would be to allow students the opportunity to pursue pleasure reading at the secondary level by allowing them the opportunity to visit their local or school libraries during there class periods. Libraries would then become a place where we can cultivate true learners.
