Customer Reviews

Resisting Reading Mandates: How to Triumph with the Truth

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Prof. Garan stunned the academic world recently with her brilliant critique of the National Reading Panel's report, which appeared in several prestigious journals, including the Phi Delta Kappan. The National Reading Panel summary claimed that intensive phonics was the true path for all readers from kindergarten to grade 6. Garan showed that this conclusion was not even consistent with the report's own data. Heavy phonics only really helps when children read regularly spelled words in isolation. It has very little effect when children read real texts. President Bush's reading plan is based on the National Reading Panel report; Garan's critique reveals important flaws in the report. Unlike the National Reading Panel report, Garan's book is very readable, very understandable. Those interested in more on this topic might also want to read recent books by Gerald Coles, such as Misreading Reading and Reading Lessons, Frank Smith's still classic book, Reading without Nonsense, and Ken Goodman's What's Whole about Whole Language.

Elaine Garan has performed a great public service. Very readable and riveting, this short book reveals what happens when politicians put the fox in charge of the henhouse. In clear, cogent fashion Garan uses her formidable research skills to distinguish between fact and fabrication in the political mandate to muzzle teachers and force them to deliver reading instruction in a lockstep, fastfood format.

Every parent and grandparent who wants their children to love books must read this book.

Every teacher who wants to take back her classroom must read this book.

As a teacher of reading in a Central California high school, I am constantly bombarded with the mandates and "bad science" of the National Reading Panel. Dr. Garan's book empowered me to understand what is going on in the realm of state and federal reading mandates and how to combat the many distortions with the truth. The question/answer format makes the book very readable.
I devour professional books on reading, and this is one of the very best. Get this book and you will be able to "triumph with the truth."

As a parent and founder of a parent advocacy group, I am not surprised to see that the support and basis for this book comes from the whole language community, they are the ones who stand to lose credibility. Ms. Garan and those in her field are so against the National Reading Panel that they impede the road to change where change is needed. The NRP does not advocate ANY method in isolation or alone further, in both the summary and the full document, it repeatedly states that none of its findings can be used as a successful approach alone, including phonics. Only phonic-phobics could walk away with a different conclusion. To write a book such as this, and title it such as it is, is simply a way of deflecting attention from thought provoking research and the opportunity for high quality discussion. There is a difference between lock-step approaches and the free-for-all that exists in many whole language schools. Parents will tell you that a child needs a structured learning environment and the 5 elements identified in the NRP report to be a successful reader, even if you don't like the source of the report. The report is available on-line, for free, decide for yourself if Ms. Garan has sensationalized the issue for her own purposes. This is not political, the report was commissioned by Congress under the Clinton administration, and No Child Left Behind, which is based on the findings, came under the Bush Administration. The only group that doesn't like the report are those whole-language folks who will be shown as extremists the more this research is implemented.