References

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Institute for Educational Sciences, US Department of Education, nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/. Data tables from https://datacenter.aecf.org/#USA/

Whole language, Phonics, blended or balanced reading instruction (various references)
​www.readinghorizons.com/reading-strategies/teaching/phonics-instruction/reading-wars-phonics-vs-whole-language-reading-instruction

​www.ascd.org/publications/curriculum-update/fall1995/Whole-Language.aspx

​en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_language

​files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED545621.pdf

​www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1997/11/the-reading-wars/376990/

​www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/nrp

​www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/smallbook

​balancedreading.com

​www.parkerphonics.com/post/a-brief-history-of-reading-instruction

Evidence for studies based upon phonics
Most phonics programs claim success based primarily upon improved scores for phonics-related testing. There is no evidence that improvement on phonics tests translates to increased scores for reading fluency and comprehension. There is a broad assumption in the education community that increased phonics scores equals improved reading scores, which is not supported in any recognized studies.  

One of the best resources for information is the What Works Clearing House.
​ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/FWW/Results?filters=,Literacy

For most generally accepted phonics-based reading programs in use today, either there are no studies that show improved reading comprehension or if listed, they actually show there is no effect on early fluency and comprehension.

(9) Kennewick case study
Original information on the immersion, catch-up, concept came from the Kennewick School District in Washington State. A book was written on the study entitled "Annual Growth for all Students, Catch-up Growth for those who are behind", Fielding, Kerr, Rosier, 2007. Subsequently, we have worked with an elementary school in Colorado Springs called Soaring Eagles Elementary. They are a Title 1 school that has won many awards and has been recognized by the state of Colorado as a leading school. They have scored above state average consistently for over 10 years and they attribute their success to the immersion, or catch-up, model. 
​
Percentage of English words that can be sounded out with a true letter-to-sound correlation.
http://readingkingdom.com/files/Reading_Kingdom_Curriculum.pdf 
Please go to page 83 for a complete explanation and references.

Phonics rules
blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/when-two-vowels-go-walking/

Reading aloud and talking studies
www.wvearlychildhood.org/resources/C-13_Handout_1.pdf

Soaring Eagles immersion model
See Item (9)
​
Non-content words
We first learned of the importance of non-content or sight words from Dr. Marion Blank. https://www.drmarionblank.com/
https://www.readingkingdom.com/

Sequencing
https://www.drmarionblank.com/
https://www.readingkingdom.com/

fMRI scans showing differences between good and struggling readers
See the works of Jack M. Fletcher, Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology University of Houston and Stanislas Dehaene.

Dyslexia, hard to determine developmental vs. instructions issues
From an article written by Dr. Marion Blank, not published.
Given the confidence with which that diagnosis is used, it may come as a surprise to find that currently there is no clear, solid test for dyslexia. In 1994, a leading researcher Keith Stanovich in a paper titled “Does dyslexia exist?” argued that there were no persuasive grounds for attempting to distinguish “developmental dyslexia” from any of the other possible causes of reading failure, such as low general ability, lack of family support or poor teaching. Despite the many research studies that have followed, Stanovich’s doubts still hold. Writing in 2017 in the journal Language, Cognition and Neuroscience,  John Stein from Oxford University states that “all poor readers seem to have similar phonological problems” making it “difficult to distinguish developmental dyslexia from social causes of reading failure.”

Students who enter kindergarten already reading or on the cusp
www.nomanis.com.au/post/why-do-some-children-learn-to-read-without-explicit-teaching

Early exposure to reading and talking better prepare children to succeed in school.
See above.


Adverse Childhood Experiences
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4732356/

Cognitive skills model
Our work is based upon the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of Cognitive Abilities
​en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattell–Horn–Carroll_theory
​onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781118660584.ese0431​
​www.iapsych.com/chccogachmeta/CHCtheoryofcognitiveabilities.html

Early childhood development, first 2000 days
​buildthefoundation.org/initiative/first-2000-days/

Reading Proficiency Scores

National Assessment of Educational Progress

https://datacenter.aecf.org/#USA/

​Chart below--4th grade proficiency scores in reading for all students in the US

 

Chart below--Percent of 4th grade students in the US who are not proficient in reading, organized by race

Chart below--8th grade scores in reading for all students in the US

Most people only have a vague sense of the massive problem our country is facing in the field of education. Parents who have a child who is struggling in school tend to feel alone and overwhelmed by the challenge. Many hope that their school will fix the problem, but as you see above, the number of children who are being left behind is unbelievable and shameful.

The best source of standardized education performance statistics on a national basis is the National Assessment of Education Progress by the US Department of Education.  The annual report is called the Nation’s Report Card.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

The NAEP conducts academic performance testing yearly on 4th and 8th-grade students.  On average, only about one out of three students is proficient in reading.  Two out of three are not proficient and one out of three students do not even meet basic requirements. Math scores are slightly worse.

According to the Black Boys Report, by the Schott Foundation, only 10% of Black male 8th-grade students are proficient in reading and only 52% graduate from high school in a four-year period.

To find the test scores for any school, go to http://schooldigger.com and search for the school. Once you find the school, click on the test scores tab. The data will show you the scores for the school, the district and the state. 

Why Reading Success Matters
Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70 percent of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th-grade level.    

Nearly 85 percent of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60 percent of all inmates are functionally illiterate.

75 percent of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90 percent of high school dropouts are on welfare.

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america

The Value of Education
On average, the higher and more successful a student achieves in education, the greater the positive impact in career success and lifetime income.  Education offers one of the best opportunities for a student to break the cycle of poverty.

Failure for a student to achieve the 3rd-grade reading milestone is one of the best indicators of academic and life struggle.  Many states predict prison facility requirements based on 3rd-grade reading scores.  Most students who are poor readers in 3rd grade never catch up.

Resources on education statistics
Kids Count, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Begin to Read Literacy Statistics

Correlation on education and lifetime income
How much is higher education worth in cold hard money? A college master’s degree is worth $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma, according to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report titled “The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings” (.pdf) reveals that over an adult’s working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million.