Regarding your report "Thousands of Maryland high school seniors must do remedial work to prepare them for college" (July 9), when will Maryland heed this wake-up call?
These problems did not begin in high school. We keep planning to remediate the deficits in our educational system rather than addressing the root cause. It is like putting a band-aid on an open wound.
Testing has shown that students are not taught to read well enough to flourish academically. Knowledgeable teachers are key in the process of students learning to read.
In 2000, the National Reading Panel established by the NICHD and the U.S. Department of Education completed an evaluation of more than 100,000 studies of how children learn to read and determined what the most effective, evidence-based teaching methods were.
Unfortunately, many schools of education still don't provide teachers with this information. That's the equivalent to having a cure and locking it in a box.
Because teachers play such a critical role in children's learning to read it is only logical that we assess their pedagogical knowledge as part of the requirement for certification. Every other profession tests foundational knowledge before conferring a license to practice. For prospective teachers of reading, a knowledge of research-based, effective practices can be compared to the physicians' understanding of anatomy.
Fifteen states now requiring a foundations of reading test for teacher certification; Maryland needs to join them. A research based licensure exam will lead to constructive change in teacher preparation.
Without an ability to read the opportunities for academic and occupational success are limited. As educator David Steiner has said, we "are going to have to retool the entire system of education throughout all the grade levels," and we need to begin by teaching our students to read proficiently.
Barbara Donick