#ReadingWars and Equity

Following the #ReadingWars on social media? If you are, you may feel like me - lost and confused. Although I teach middle school English, reading instruction is near and dear to my heart because I teach in a school where many of our readers are considered striving readers. (Please note the phrase "striving readers." It is intentional - focus on student assets rather than deficits.) In fact, last year 29% of our students in grades 6-7 met proficiency on our state standardized reading test. (On a side note, I am not a fan of standardized tests and don't believe they represent our students' true capabilities and brilliance.)

According to our Department of Education, my middle school looks like this:

• 69.1% of our students attend school on a regular basis.
• 44.9% are Black or African-American.
• 23.5% are Asian.
• 18.0% are Hispanic or Latino.
• 6.5% are Two or More Races.
• 6.2% are White.
• 1% are American Indian or Alaska Native.
• 78.9% receive Free/Reduced Lunch.
• 4.8% are Homeless.
• 18.6% receive English Learner Services.
• 18.0% receive Special Education Services

Take another middle school, farther out of the cities, with 86.4% White students and 11.4% receiving Free/Reduced Lunch. Can you guess what their reading proficiency rate is? I bet you already know the ballpark figure. Yes, it's 75.7%. As experienced teachers, we know that standardized test proficiency rates can be determined from zip codes. 

Like I mentioned before, I am not a strong believer in standardized tests. In fact, we have opted our children out of them for many years. But . . . our district knows, our administrators know, and our teachers know that our kids have not and are not receiving the proper education in reading even without including the scores of the standardized tests. This is maddening. We all know this, yet nothing much changes in reading instruction K-12 for my students.

Reading is an integral part of society - academic, social, economic, and civil. Knowing this, my students are at a severe disadvantage compared to the middle school with 86.4% White students and the much lower percentage of students receiving Free/Reduced Lunch. 

Now take into consideration, the #ReadingWars. One side is adamant about teaching phonics. One side is adamant about teaching reading workshop. Teachers are forced to take sides because, ya know, you can't think having a balanced approach is best for students, right? You must take a side. While I know that people on both sides (phrase is making me cringe if you know what I'm talking abut) have students' best interests at heart, teachers are caught in the middle. There is research to back both sides. (Let's be honest. Data can be manipulated to prove any point.) This leaves teachers wondering what to do in their classrooms, which leads many teachers to stick to what they know because that is what has "worked" for them, the research is confusing, and time is precious.

I believe a balanced approach is necessary - both phonics and readers workshop (in grades K-8, with more focus on phonics in grades K-2). It can be done if we truly believe all of our students matter, especially our Black and Brown students who, historically, have been left behind by those with the power. For this to happen, though, it is imperative we commit to "reducing the predictability of who succeeds and who fails, interrupting reproductive practices that negatively impact students, and cultivating the gifts and talents of every student" (A Conversation About Instructional Equity with Zaretta Hammond, Part 1).

Currently, our middle school English curriculum consists of materials created by us, which encompasses a majority of our time and doesn't always hit the target. It's difficult to admit this, but we need a guiding curriculum, hear me say - not scripted, for our scope and sequence and to best help our striving readers. Also, we have 50 minutes for our English classes. I know this is the case for many schools around the country, but it's not enough, especially when we have a majority of students who need more intensive help with reading and the testing scores fall on our shoulders in which we are deemed worthy or not worthy. Finally, we do not have resources to help all of our striving readers with phonics. (And, yes, I do have 8th graders who are in need of phonics/decoding skills.)

With the struggles listed above, I do have some ideas on what I believe should change, so we can better meet the needs of our students who have not received the education they need. 

1. Honest conversations about curriculum - Without a guiding curriculum, we are not aligned in our teaching and the left-hand doesn't know what the right-hand is doing more often than not. While this might be unpopular with some educators, I purchased two Lucy Calkins/TCRWP middle school reading units: A Deep Study of Character and Tapping the Power of Nonfiction. The kids are showing great growth in their reading abilities, are actively engaged in the scaffolded learning, and are able to read and think at a higher level once the scaffolds are removed. Some educators believe Calkins's units are scripted. They are if you want them to be; I focus on the mini-lesson and use my own wording. While I won't know if this curriculum helps my students with our state test until this spring, I can say that my students are improving based on my own formative and summative assessments, and I truly believe I am reducing the predictability of those who succeed and who fail. 
2. Honest conversations about scheduling - Students need more than 50 minutes of English class to become better speakers, readers, writers, and thinkers. In my ideal world, we would have 90 minute class periods for English. At our school, this would mean thinking creatively about our current schedule, but it can be done. There are many effective scheduling models out there. We need to interrupt our current system. 
3. Honest conversations about resources/intervention time for our most-striving readers - Every year about this time, I begin fixating on my 8th grade students who cannot decode well and who we are sending on to high school next year. I worry, and I worry, and I worry. Then I get into this mode of trying to help all of those students with decoding. I own the first four levels of Barton Reading and Spelling (purchased on my own), so this year, I'm working with a student before school and running an after-school program to help them as much as I can before they leave me in the beginning of June. We don't have anything in place that truly works, and that needs to change. We cannot accept that we are sending some our our students with the most severe decoding issues on to high school where they will likely not receive the help they need. 
4. Having honest conversations about and dismantling racist policies - This is where the most work is needed, but it is ignored over and over again. We need to talk about redlining, school district boundaries, rates of suspension and disciplinary referrals, and the fact that the majority of our students live in poverty. There truly is no reason for our Black and Brown students to be struggling in reading, but access to opportunities is lacking. Our school boundaries encompass one of Minnesota's Racial Concentrated Areas of Poverty. This is unacceptable for our students and their families. The school district and city need to figure out how to dismantle the racist policies that cause this opportunity gap. Talking about it is not enough; action is needed.

In the end, it's not about only-phonics or only-readers workshop. It is about creating a learning environment and school community (inside and outside of the school) where we are "reducing the predictability of who succeeds and who fails, interrupting reproductive practices that negatively impact students, and cultivating the gifts and talents of every student."

We Talk Equity

Mission/Vision Statements from School Districts Near Me

• "Every child college and career ready" (Minneapolis Public Schools)
• ". . . inspire and prepare all students . . ." (Osseo Area School District)
• ". . . effectively educate each of our students for success." (Anoka-Hennepin School District)
• " . . . meets the needs of each individual student" (Monticello School District)

Now that you've read the above statements, please read them again. Slowly. What do all four have in common? If you guessed every child, you are correct. In seems school districts all over my state of Minnesota talk about meeting the needs of each and every student, but, alas, it's only talk. Words. Put down on paper to make it sound like we are doing what needs to be done for our students. It takes meeting upon meeting upon meeting to create effective mission statements (or vision statements, whatever districts call them). 

The mission/vision statements aren't cutting it, folks, but we hear things from districts like, "Oh, but we spent so much time on these statements, talked to staff, community members, parents, and students. Everyone had a say." That's great. I truly am glad that everyone had a say in what our missions are. Really. Truly. Honestly. But . . . 

I have students who are in 8th grade who are not reading at the middle school level. I have students who are reading at about the fourth grade reading level and below. 

• Is this "EVERY child and career ready"?
• Do we "inspire and prepare ALL students"?
• Do we "effectively educate EACH of our students for success"?
• De we "meet the needs of EACH individual student"? 

No. No. No. No.

Talkin' About Equity

In the last 15 years, I have taught in a few different districts, which means I have sat through quite a few staff meetings, professional development meetings, workshops, etc. In the last 10 years, most of these meetings have focused on equity - learning about race, racism, implicit bias, whiteness, privilege, micro-aggressions, cultural relevance, teaching strategies, etc. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the same information - just in a different way. (Heck, I even read professional books on my own about the topic.) It is THE topic right now, as well it should be. We have not done right by our students - of color, of religion, of ethnicity, of sexual orientation, of gender, of immigrants, with learning disabilities.

My issue is we get so focused on "teaching" what equity means and examining our own biases that we don't actually solve the inequities, and we still have lots of inequities in our Minnesota schools. I want to focus on the reading inequity since that is my area of expertise. 

So getting back to the many students I have not reading even close to grade level . . . I understand that there are multiple factors that come into play when kids are in school that affect reading: mobility, new to country, poverty, homelessness, language other than English, hunger, lack of access to books, etc. Trust me. It's hard being a teacher and trying to help each and every one of our kids. We want every one of our students to read at or above grade-level, but it's hard to do when the systems in our schools and districts are not set up to truly help ALL kids. 

Since one of our many school systems focuses on equity, why aren't we focusing on reading as being an issue of equity? We can understand our biases, learn strategies to help all students access the content, and talk about equity until we are blue in the face, yet our kids are not learning to read - specifically, being able to decode words at a middle school level. [FYI - I teach at a middle school with 80% F/RL (maybe higher), and large majority of students of color.] 

I'm tired of my students not being taught how to read. We are sending them to high school, and they can't read. I know saying, "They can't read," sounds awful. Like somehow I am blaming the kids. I am NOT blaming the kids. I am saying, "They can't read," because we have failed them. We have failed to teach our kids how to read. We are going to pass them into high school where they won't learn how to read. We will pass them into the "real world" where they will not be able to read at a level to participate fully in society, live life to their best, and make money (right?). That is NOT equity. That is INEQUITY. We are pushing some of our most vulnerable kids into a life of crime. (Trust me. Kids can't read. School is hard. Easier to not do school. Easier to be manipulated. Easier to do bad things. Easier to associate with the "wrong side of the tracks.") 

No amount of talking about race, racism, implicit bias, whiteness, privilege, micro-aggressions, cultural relevance, teaching strategies, etc. will teach my kids to read. Period. Can we just acknowledge that? Please? We like to avoid talking about reading and equity because it's easier to talk about all of the things we talk about in our equity discussions. It looks like we are doing something on the surface, but dig deeper. Below the surface, nothing is changing for our kids. They aren't learning how to read. 

No More Talk. More Action. 

Now, before you say I should be teaching them to read, I am. I am doing the best I can to meet the needs of my 25 students in each class with varying degrees of reading ability. I have an English teaching license and a K-12 Reading license. I do what I can in my 50 minute class periods to the best of my abilities. I will start tutoring an 8th grade student in the mornings before school starts because she has dyslexia (diagnosed) and reading is soooooo hard for her. She knows it. Her parents know it. Yet we don't have anything in place to help her. (BTW, I will be using Barton Reading and Spelling.) I am starting an after-school group to do the same thing for my 8th graders who find reading difficult and frustrating. 

While I don't have all of the answers to solve this issue of inequity, I do have some ideas - although they are vague at this point.

1. English class periods that are 90 minutes 
2. Looping grades with students
3. Teachers who value reading - all teachers, not just reading and ELA teachers
4. Schools that value reading - can see it all over the building
5. Orton-Gillingham program to teach phonics sequentially for ALL students in all grade levels
6. Specifically targeting students who are falling behind
7. Increase independent reading time
8. Classroom libraries funded by schools
9. School libraries with a full-time librarian
10. Lots of audio books
11. Recognizing that reading is an equity issue
12. Balanced literacy 
13. Appropriate funding
14. Expert teachers, who are passionate, working with struggling readers
15. Reading specialist in each school

It's Up to Us

We have allowed our children to fall behind in reading. Let's just put that out there. It's now up to us to shake up the systems we work in. Reading = Equity