Submitted by Barbara Martinet, Oct 9, 2007 03:17

"Education students should be taught that drill-based reading instruction was shown to work for poor black kids by Siegfried Engelmann 40 years ago."

Mr. McWhorter, Thank you for speaking truth. My interest is in literacy or lack of literacy in my local city public schools (over 50% black). My children attended the local city schools. The schools use "whole language" instruction which didn't work for my (white) children. (My husband and I have college degrees (with honors) and three masters between us). Not surprisingly, my city has a diploma graduation rate under 50%. "Indirect" language instruction doesn't work for anyone. Not only do black children do poorly with indirect language instruction, white children do too! The difference is that parents with money hire tutors, and the public schools continue with reading programs that work poorly with ALL students, regardless of race or income. We ended up home schooling one of our children. We are thoroughly disgusted with the university schools of ed and blame their teaching dogmas with ruining public school reading/math instruction and turning U.S. children into test rats. (I have some specific stories, if you are interested) Barbara Martinet, Roanoke, VA)

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