European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine school Reading programs criticized by Patricia Mccormack United press International whats wrong with Reading Down in the it turns int just about kids hooked on television instead of part of the problems the basal Reading another trouble kids dont get to spend much time Reading in a nose in a Reading Workbook  count As basal Reader is educator Lingo for a package of teach ing materials piled one atop the would make a stack of papers and books 4 feet the organized by Grade runs from kindergarten to eighth the basal Reading including workbooks and were put on the hot seat by a group that looked at Reading problems across the it was no offhand lots of other aspects of the Reading scene were implicated in poor Reading for were scolded for not Reading to their the National Academy of education commission on the group headed by Richard looked and poked and prodded along the academic Trail for two years before coming out with its becom ing a nation of director of the Center for the study of Reading at the University of said America can become a nation of readers if existing knowledge about How children learn to read is simply put into its not that we dont know what to do its that in too Many cases were not making it he we can be absolutely sure that if what we already know were put into there would be a big practical take the basal Reader program for one the report said the observation that basal programs drive Reading instruction is not to be taken these programs strongly influence How Reading is taught in american schools and what students the basal Reading says the typically Are the brain children of teams of authors who work with editors of educational publishing these firms sell the programs to schools across the Large publishing companies invest upward of million to bring out new basal Reading the report within budgets of this surely it is possible to hire gifted writers who can create stories far Superior to the Standard the commission believes that the american people ought to expect and should demand children dont get to spend much time Reading in better Reading primers for their noting that writing the first selections a child will read is a difficult balancing the report said but there Are examples of selections for Young read ers that meet the technical requirements for a con trolled vocabulary and at the same time Tell a Story and use language in artful cited As a notable example was Green eggs and one of the Seuss in a class at least with the cat in the research on Reading has reached a critical Robert Glaser says in the introduction to the the recommendations that the experts present reflect decades of productive Glaser is president of the National Academy of Edu cation and director of the learning research and development University of other recommendations from the commission teachers of beginning Reading should present Well designed phonics although most children today Are taught often such instruction is poorly Reading primers should be interesting and comprehensible and give children opportunities to apply Phon approaches to phonics in most current programs fall considerably Short of the teachers should devote More time to comprehension instruction in Reading strategies clearly promotes Reading but is one study showed that Only 45 minutes of comprehension instruction not counting time spent asking and answering questions occurred during minutes of Obser children should spend less time completing work books and skill these activities consume a Large proportion of the despite the fact that Little evidence exists that they help Reading children should spend More time Independent Reading and in Independent Reading is a major source of vocabulary growth and Reading and writing promotes ability in schools should support a personality that supports those schools Best at teaching Reading Are characterized by vigorous High discipline and staffs that work teacher education programs should be extended to five and the Quality and rigor of the instruction should be prospective elementary teachers do not acquire an adequate base in either the Liberal arts and sciences or in pedagogy they get Only a Fleet ing introduction to the knowledge required for teaching booksellers Ponder illiteracy by Stephen Simurda associated press for those who sell the nations its a chilling thought an estimated 60 million americans Are functionally unable to under among other the sentences on this on third of our adult population cannot read a daily a a welfare the Bill of a housing a Road the antidote instructions on a can of Kitchen the word of god in the Bible author Jonathon Kozol told a breakfast gathering at the american booksellers association convention in san Kozolys new illiterate published by was one of the hottest topics at the fou Day gathering of to publicists and Bookstore the meetings toward a Reading reflected booksellers con Cern with although some have singled out television As the greatest threat to the nations billion a year Book the people who sell those books its not television that threatens the Book its said Gail president of the Aba and a Bookstore owner in in booksellers say television often stimulates peo ple to read whether we like it or we Are part of the whole packaging said Lee who runs the univer sity Bookstore in he said that television shows often tie their message to books in the form of Long miniseries and educational shows that Tell viewers How to learn More about the subject while booksellers say people Are Reading they Are not sure that More people Are i think its the same group of people who Are Reading said Rhett owner of the Happy Book seller in making inroads into the non readers is still in his Kozol says the United states literacy level ranks 49th out of the 158 members of the United measuring the number of books produced per capita puts the United states behind Many less developed nations As Well As the fifth ranked soviet and Kozol says the number of functionally illiterate americans is rising by 2 million a Kozol and others at the convention blasted the Reagan administration for requesting budget cuts in Federal Reading Library education of the disabled and student illiteracy needs to be addressed by this Industry since the government int going to address said july 1985 Bernard executive director of the illiterate parents cant provide an example for their children to perpetuating a Cycle that leaves Many virtually helpless in an increasingly Complex booksellers As we look at the Lon term were concerned about where the Reader of tomorrow is coming see part of it is that the educational system has said Michael owner of powells Bookstore in As a theres a lot of work going on getting children interested in during this years a halfday was devoted to the childrens Book including seminars on what Young people Are Reading and How to improve the marketing of books geared to in his Kozol estimates said Many of those in prison or on welfare Rolls Are there because they cant read Well enough to hold this May be the one moral Issue of our times upon which liberals and democrats and poor and Black and can totally he Rath and others in the Aba said illiteracy is not cutting into Book but if More people the Market could the stars and stripes Page 13