National reading expert comes to Baltimore County
A group of Baltimore County educators spent today in reading presentations by literacy expert Dr. Richard Allington, whom I spoke with for a recent story about independent reading programs.
Superintendent Joe A. Hairston introduced Allington, a professor of literacy studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, as "the Bill Gates of reading."
He added that Allington is one of the few individuals in the country who truly understands the significance of that skill and has mastered the teaching of it -- "and is willing to share it with those of us who are in the trenches."
Allington does not mince words when it comes to his belief in the importance of properly teaching children how to read: allowing them to read what interests them, and giving them access to such material at their reading levels.
His morning session to BCPS administrators and principals did not spare anyone, as he condemned widely used, "one size fits all" reading programs that, he said, essentially do nothing for children. I thought I’d share some of his noteworthy observations here, as well as some references and links to material he cited during his presentation.
*"There is no such thing as a learning disability or dyslexia," Allington told the group, citing research and his own 45-year experience of never finding anyone he couldn’t teach to read.
"If your teachers don’t have Warhammer in your fourth-grade classroom, and you’ve got boys that you think are dyslexic, [they] just haven’t found anything socially inappropriate enough to read," he said.
*On high school textbooks: Many teachers think their job is not to teach children, but "to ram kids through a packaged program that’s too hard for most of the kids," he said. Teachers choose books written at a level often incomprehensible to students. But no program is truly proven or up to the federal "gold" standard (see also the government's What Works Clearinghouse.)
*Science texts should be 2.5 years below grade reading level, not above, as the chosen ones tend to be.
"You can’t learn much from a book you can’t read," Allington said (also the title of an article he wrote on the subject).
*His principles for getting responses to instruction/intervention:
- Match texts to readers
- Dramatically expand reading activity
- Use very small groups or tutoring
- Coordinate interests with classroom curriculum
- Expert teacher provides instruction (i.e., a certified reading specialist)
- Focus on meaning
For more info on Allington or for materials on reading, you can check out his site.
Categories: Baltimore County, NCLB, SpecialEd, Teaching, Testing
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
In the interest of fairness, you may want to explore Allington's statement that "there are no learning disabilities or dyslexia." I would be saddened to learn that Baltimore County Public Schools operates on such a sweeping statement. You may want to inform the parents of special education students of this very narrow and dangerous viewpoint. They may want to seek a better environment for their children.
Posted by: Ruth | February 16, 2009 2:55 PM
I'd put this guy in the same fruit-loop category as those who say autism doesn't exist. Right...my general advice is if you don't know anything about a subject could you consider keeping your mouth shut? So, if he's saying dyslexia doesn't exist, is the conclusion that kids diagnosed as dyslexic are just stupid and/or lazy? That's the same thing Dennis Leary said about autistics. Ignorant jerk!
Posted by: a parent | February 17, 2009 7:56 AM
In response to Ruth's statement, first Dr. Allington's comments must be considered in the context of his two hour presentation to fully understand his intent. Now to the point, Dr. Allington was basically saying that too often in education, people overuse terms like "dyslexia" to count children out and not work sufficiently with them to realize their abilities. Finally, and most important, neither Baltimore County Public Schools nor any other school system would operate on a "sweeping statement." Anyone who knows education knows that would be impratical. To suggest such is not fair to the parents, students, or the professionals in the school system. All that said, Dr. Allington's remarks were meant to provoke thought about the educational practices and treatment of children --and evidently they did.
Posted by: Barbara | February 17, 2009 10:31 AM
Did Arin misquote Dr. Allington? It seems that Barbara is minimizing the statements. I would assume since "anyone who knows education would know that would be impractical" Dr. Allington would have known better than to make such a statement.
Posted by: Ruth | February 17, 2009 6:13 PM
No, I did not misquote Dr. Allington. His comments re: dyslexia - and learning disabilities in general - were intended to dismiss any notion that it is acceptable for educators to make excuses for not teaching children properly. He said several times that educators can't expect others to teach their students for them, passing the kids on to someone else for help.
Posted by: Arin | February 18, 2009 12:10 PM
I wonder why Barbara and Arin are so eager to defend the irresponsible comments made by Dr. Allington...I would think that this "reading giant" would chose his words carefully. Recognizing that students may have special areas of need does not mean that educators make excuses. It means that more must be done to meet the needs of all students. Why is it so difficult to simply say the man was wrong?
Posted by: Ruth | February 21, 2009 10:49 PM
Ruth,
As a journalist, it is my obligation to report what I hear and see. I make no pretense that I am a reading expert. My posted comment was a direct reply to those asking whether I had misquoted Dr. Allington and those seeking, “in the interest of fairness,” a more thorough exploration of his remarks. I added some details to further explain the context in which Dr. Allington’s remarks were made. I am not trying to justify or downplay those comments, but am reporting them to our readers as a matter of record.
Posted by: Arin | February 23, 2009 11:37 AM
Arin,
Context does not change the statement. If this "expert" meant to say what you and Barbara propose...why didn't he say it as Barbara suggested? It seems that you are going to great lengths to defend this man. I understand that you report what you see and hear as you seemed to do with your direct quote...I don't understand why you also feel the need to explain and justify.
Posted by: Ruth | March 26, 2009 8:18 PM