The Literacy Crisis Begins in Schools of Education
In 1955, Rudolph Flesch released what ought to have been the definitive book on reading education: Why Johnny Can't Read—And What You Can Do About It. Flesch’s method was simple and backed by science. Flesch explained,
“What I suggested was very simple: go back to the ABC’s. Teach children the 44 sounds of English and how they are spelled. Then they can sound out each word from left to right and read it off the page.”Although the book was a bestseller, the American education establishment failed to listen to Flesch’s valuable advice. Now, 70 years later, reading performance is worse. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), an educational assessment administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, literacy levels are declining. In 2024, 40 percent of 4th graders and 33 percent of 8th graders performed below the NAEP’s “basic” level.
These problems have serious downstream effects. Research shows that students who cannot read proficiently by the 3rd grade face higher risks of academic failure, dropping out of high school, and unemployment. This early gap often leads to long-term economic hardship, increased dependence on public services, and even a greater likelihood of incarceration. The societal costs are substantial, making early literacy a critical predictor of future success.
Poor practices in America’s schools of education are at least partially responsible for these dismal outcomes. Several problems within schools of education contribute to students’ inability to read.
The first is the neglect of the science of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading fluency. Although parents everywhere acknowledge that phonics (knowing the sounds that letters make) and phonemic awareness (sounding it out) are the best ways to teach children to read, most education schools still prepare future teachers to use “whole language” or “balanced literacy” instruction. These largely discredited programs bill themselves as holistic, authentic, and natural, but fail to deliver results.
Schools of education also underemphasize the importance of knowledge in teaching reading—and laying a foundation for future learning. As Natalie Wexler reports in her recent book, The Knowledge Gap: the Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System—And How to Fix It, “the most important factor in determining whether readers can understand a text is how much relevant vocabulary or background knowledge they have.” But schools of education, and consequently classroom teachers, ignore this truth.
To fill in the gaps left by ignoring content knowledge, schools of education overemphasize pedagogy, social-emotional learning, or other trendy but off-topic lessons. The current education school emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is one such diversion. Not only do DEI-focused courses take time away from educators learning foundational knowledge of their own, but they also undermine achievement by ignoring the importance of merit and persistence and lowering expectations. Misguided attempts to improve children’s self-esteem also fall into this category.
The solution is to overhaul teacher preparation programs. Improving K-12 education must start by reforming schools of education. A new publication by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal suggests several promising reforms. Blueprint for Reform: Teacher Education explains,
By failing to properly train teachers, schools of education are failing the country’s youngest students. This cycle of impoverished education can stop if educators—held accountable by policymakers—depoliticize their classrooms and integrate the latest evidence-based research on effective learning.The Blueprint suggests several ways universities can remake schools of education, including requiring teacher candidates to take courses that “equip them with the core content knowledge of their area of specialization” and incorporating the science of reading into curricula for early elementary teachers. The Blueprint also suggests prohibiting “diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused curricular requirements.”
According to the Blueprint, state legislators also have a role to play, especially in the regulation of teacher licensure. The Blueprint recommends that legislatures require additional content knowledge and embrace alternative routes to licensure.
If we want to restore human flourishing and revive the promise of the American dream, we must begin by ensuring that every child learns to read. That requires bold, systemic reform of America’s schools of education so that future educators are grounded in the science of reading and equipped with essential content knowledge. Only by abandoning failed fads and holding schools of education accountable can we break the cycle of illiteracy and give all students the opportunity to succeed.
Jenna Robinson is the president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a lifelong education reformer.
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