The literacy crisis, why Johnny can’t read. This extends to the adult population and explains why voters might vote against their own interest – they simply don’t understand government.
More than 70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices, and other basic functions of our democracy footnote 22.
Also, 98% of this report was generated by Google Gemini 1.5 Pro with Deep Research. I fact checked it extensively, made some formatting changes to spacing and indicated subheads along with adding bold text formatting. The actual text is completely due to Gemini as is the research.
Across the United States, a crisis is brewing. Children are struggling to learn to read, and older students are graduating high school with insufficient reading skills. Even students entering elite universities like MIT exhibit concerning gaps in their reading comprehension. This report looks into the factors contributing to this literacy crisis, examines current Congressional concerns, and explores potential solutions.
The Alpha Generation: A Generation at Risk for Reading Skills
Generation Alpha, encompassing children born between 2010 and 2025, faces unique challenges in developing literacy skills.
One of the primary reasons for this decline in reading proficiency is the pervasive impact of technology on Gen Alpha. While digital tools can benefit learning, they are also a source of constant distraction footnote 1.
The same devices that children use for reading are often also filled with apps, games, and social media platforms designed to capture their attention footnote 1.
This fragmented focus makes it difficult for children to engage with long-form texts, necessary for developing deep reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
Furthermore, the digital world may also be contributing to a deeper problem: a shift away from “deep reading.” Deep reading, a term coined by cognitive scientist Maryanne Wolf, involves a slow, focused engagement with text that promotes critical thinking, comprehension, and empathy footnote 1.
However, the overabundance of fast, shallow content has led to a decline in this type of reading. Wolf argues that digital media’s quick and fragmented nature discourages the practice of deep reading footnote 1.
Consequently, many children in Gen Alpha can read simple sentences or scan headlines but lack the ability to engage in more complex reading, such as analyzing arguments, identifying themes, or understanding figurative language footnote 1.
Adding to this issue, studies show that there is a negative correlation between technology use and time spent reading footnote 2.
With access to smartphones and tablets from an increasingly early age, Generation Alpha spends more time using screens than any of the previous generations, which negatively correlates to time spent reading. In addition to non-educational screen time, technology use in schools and the comparison of reading printed books to e-readers may also be contributing factors footnote 2.
Phonics and Literacy Crisis
Another factor contributing to the literacy crisis among Generation Alpha is the shift away from phonics instruction in many schools. Some educators adopt methods that emphasize memorizing words by sight, neglecting the crucial role of phonics in decoding and understanding unfamiliar words footnote 3.
As a result, when students encounter a word they have never seen before, they cannot pronounce it, because they have no knowledge of phonics footnote 3. This approach can leave children ill-equipped to tackle new vocabulary and comprehend complex texts.
Compounding the challenges for Generation Alpha, the rise of technology has also led to a decline in leisure reading footnote 2. Since the rise of technology in recent decades, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of children who read books for pleasure, that is to say, independent reading done in one’s leisure time (ludic reading).
This decline is most evident in our newest generation of youths, Generation Alpha, which describes anyone born from the year 2010 to 2025 footnote 2.
There is a clear correlation between the decline in ludic reading among Generation Alpha and the rise of technology footnote 2.
Concerns about Generation Alpha’s reading comprehension extend beyond simply reading words.
People do not understand ideas, stories, or instructions when they lack comprehension skills footnote 4.
Part of reading is taking in ideas and being able to understand, extrapolate, and make assertions. Those skills are used everywhere. Many people are functionally illiterate, and it extends to watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts footnote 24.
Many students in Generation Alpha are functioning way below their grade level and require Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans to accommodate their learning needs footnote 4.
They cannot use the information they read in an assignment to answer a question unless the question is literally, word-for-word, from the reading material footnote 4.
Generation Alpha is also losing their social skills along with their education footnote 4.
Generation Alpha Unlike Anything the World Has Seen
The young kids and ones to be born are growing up around technology in a way that not even Generation Z experienced footnote 5.
They are having troubles caused by the events that have shaped their generation such as quarantine and the use of social media, which has led to many disorders and issues that can distract them from learning footnote 5.
The only way to save this generation is if schools adapt
Teachers cannot continue to teach in styles that have worked for previous generations, since it will not have the same positive effect footnote 5.
Another concern is the impact of AI on students’ learning habits footnote 6.
Today’s generation of kids are literally growing up in a generation where AI can do your homework. Kids are not going to the library anymore and combing through pages and pages of books to get the information that they need to complete their assignments.
They are just hopping online and have easy access and instant gratification to be able to have whatever they are looking for. When it is easier to find information, students are not going to be learning and soaking up the information in the same way as when they have to work to get to that information footnote 6.
Older Students: Graduating Without Proficiency
The literacy crisis extends beyond Generation Alpha.
A significant number of high school graduates lack the reading skills necessary for success in college, careers, and civic life.
According to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 19% of high school graduates cannot read footnote 7.
This alarming statistic highlights a systemic failure in providing adequate support to students throughout their educational journey.
Some college students struggle with assignments because they lack sufficient reading comprehension skills.
According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 43% of U.S. adults lacked the basic skills to read and understand college-type and other such dense texts footnote 8.
They also cannot determine cause and effect, make simple inferences, summarize, or recognize an author’s purpose footnote 8.
In high school, some savvy students can get by with doing little reading and relying on class discussions to prepare them for quizzes and tests. It is not easy to do the same in college-especially if you are taking classes online footnote 8.
Several Factors Contribute to This Issue
One is the lack of emphasis on foundational literacy skills in early education. Teachers often face pressure to cover a wide range of topics, leaving insufficient time for developing these crucial skills footnote 9.
Without a solid foundation, students struggle to keep up with increasingly complex reading materials as they progress through school.
Another contributing factor is the over-reliance on standardized tests as the primary measure of student success. This can lead to a narrow focus on test preparation, potentially neglecting the development of essential reading comprehension skills footnote 9.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) measures reading comprehension by asking students to read selected grade-appropriate materials and answer questions based on what they have read footnote 10.
Furthermore, older students who struggle with reading often experience a decline in their comprehension skills due to a lack of practice and avoidance of reading altogether footnote 11. This creates a vicious cycle where poor reading skills lead to reduced reading experience, further hindering comprehension and vocabulary development. Older students may experience difficulties with comprehension due to a variety of factors including cognitive slowing or sensory impairments footnote 12.
Challenges faced by older students who struggle with reading can range from the physiological, such as changes in vision and brain plasticity, to the psychological, including reduced self-esteem and increased anxiety footnote 12.
These challenges are unique and multifaceted, requiring a nuanced approach to literacy education footnote 12.
Recent research demonstrates how executive functioning skills contribute to success in reading footnote 13. These skills include cognitive flexibility (shifting), maintaining attention, using working memory, planning ahead, and controlling impulses footnote 13.
In one study, researchers looked at students who had poor reading comprehension despite adequate word recognition ability. The study revealed that a third of the students (36.8%) showed weaknesses in executive function but not in their component reading skills, like receptive vocabulary footnote 13.
Studies have also shown that many university students primarily achieve a literal level of understanding and struggle with higher-level comprehension skills like making inferences and recognizing text structure footnote 14.
Comparing reading comprehension levels, there is a significantly higher proportion of university students who have an optimal level of literal compared to the rest of the reading comprehension levels footnote 14. The results have to be interpreted with caution but are a guide for future research footnote 14.
Moreover, studies have shown a connection between reading difficulties and limited topic knowledge, particularly in subjects that rely heavily on reading comprehension footnote 15.
Middle school and high school teachers expect their students to be able to read expository textbooks to learn the content of the curriculum and gain the necessary topic knowledge footnote 15.
Given that topic knowledge is acquired largely through reading, adolescents who avoid reading because they find it arduous and unrewarding are likely to know less about a range…source topics footnote 15. This limitation will compound their difficulties in comprehending books written in the expository genre, resulting…source footnote 15.
Underlying Causes of the Literacy Crisis
Childhood illiteracy is caused by numerous factors, but most often it is related to home environments footnote 16.
The level of literacy support in children’s living situations is influenced by income levels, employment status, crime and violence rates, regional location, and other factors footnote 16.
- Some of the causes of illiteracy among children include:
- Undiagnosed learning disabilities footnote 17
- Hearing or vision loss footnote 17
- Lack of a role model, i.e. no one in the family or household stresses reading or education footnote 17
- Poverty or a focus on survival needs rather than education footnote 17
- Violence in the community or fear of violence, causing a student to miss large amounts of school footnote 17
- Moving from one school to another throughout childhood, so that education did not make sense and did not fit together footnote 17
- Leaving school at a young age to care for a sick or dying family member footnote 17
- Leaving school at a young age to provide income for the family footnote 17
- Living in a refugee camp where education was minimal or not available footnote 17
- Family history of illiteracy footnote 16
- Lack of books at home footnote 16
- Lack of attention to the importance of reading footnote 16
- Socioeconomic issues are a major reason for illiteracy footnote 18.
- One of the major reasons for illiteracy is simply a lack of resources, or access to those resources footnote 18.
- Specifically, children living in poverty face unique challenges in receiving the necessary resources to improve their reading skills footnote 18.
- Child illiteracy disproportionately affects certain groups-specifically, children who are Black, Hispanic, disabled, from low-income backgrounds, or not fluent in English footnote 18.
- So the result, then, is that illiteracy widens the already-existing gaps between certain groups of students footnote 18.
Three main factors contributing to illiteracy are the student’s mentality, adult involvement, and both the family’s socio-economic status and the school’s financial support footnote 19. In many districts and schools, outdated teaching methods and curricula that have been proven ineffective, and even harmful, are still being used footnote 20.
Adding to this problem is that too many teachers enter the profession without any training in evidence-based reading instruction, which means they lack the knowledge to effectively teach their students how to read footnote 20.
Congressional Concerns: A Call for Action
The literacy crisis has garnered significant attention from Congress.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the declining literacy rates and their impact on individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole.
In the United States, 54% of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, and nearly one in five adults reads below a third-grade level footnote 21.
Amidst growing polarization, workplaces emerge as a rare unifying civic force footnote 22.
A comprehensive new study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation reveals an alarming truth just three years shy of America’s 250th anniversary-the nation’s civic knowledge is badly lagging footnote 22.
The national survey, which examined responses from 2,000 registered voters, also shows that while Americans lack basic understanding of government, trust in business remains strong footnote 22.
The survey finds more than 70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices, and other basic functions of our democracy footnote 22.
In 2021, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, Chrissy Houlahan, Bruce Westerman, and Julia Brownley introduced the bipartisan READ Act footnote 23. This legislation aims to improve literacy rates by creating a grant program to support states in implementing evidence-based reading instruction and intervention programs.
Congress also recognizes the economic consequences of low literacy rates. Studies have shown that raising adult literacy levels could significantly boost the U.S. economy footnote 21. Moreover, illiteracy is linked to higher unemployment, poverty, and health issues, placing a strain on social welfare programs and increasing incarceration costs footnote 24.
Solving illiteracy will require greater federal investment and leadership, including by providing specific avenues for local literacy programs to access and utilize federal funds and supporting states that adopt explicit literacy training standards for teacher certification footnote 24.
Over the last 25 years, the federal government has made a concerted effort to find out why so many children struggle with learning to read footnote25. This research has yielded a rough consensus on the best ways to teach reading, and we now know much more about how to identify children at risk and how to intervene effectively footnote 25.
The challenge that remains is getting this research-based information out to educators, parents, and others who work with children footnote 25.
In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law footnote 26.
The Act sought to address some of these literacy issues for children in pre-K through the third grade by authorizing the Early Reading First and Reading First Programs footnote 26.
In 2005, Congress created the Striving Readers programs, which focuses on middle and high school students as part of the FY2005 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act within NCLB footnote 26.
The success in the first seven years of the scientifically-based Reading First program in particular has been astounding 26. Nationally, the percentage of third graders scoring proficient on state reading assessments has grown nearly eight percent, much faster than overall growth footnote 26.
In addition, state-reported performance data released last year indicates impressive gains in reading comprehension, with improvements seen by nearly every grade and subgroup of students footnote 26.
Despite the clear success of the Reading First program, it was eliminated in 2008 footnote 26.
Why Johnny Can’t Read: Arguments and Criticisms
In 1955, Rudolf Flesch published “Why Johnny Can’t Read,” a scathing critique of the “look-say” method of reading instruction prevalent at the time footnote 27. Flesch argued that this method, which relied on memorizing whole words by sight, was ineffective and advocated for a return to phonics instruction.
He believed that teaching children to decode words by sounding them out was essential for developing strong reading skills footnote 27. Additionally, Flesch was critical of the simple stories and limited text and vocabulary of the Dick and Jane style readers that taught students to read by memorization of words footnote 27.
Flesch also criticizes the overuse of common words that are not spelled as they sound footnote 28. The upshot is that look-and-say books obstruct the link that the young pupil might otherwise make between the letters and the sound of the word that they spell footnote 28. For example, one basal reader includes this passage: “We have come, Grandma,” said Ana. “We have come to work with you.” “Come in,” Grandma said. “These three sentences have 17 words,” Flesch points out footnote 28. “Most of them don’t follow the rule of spelling. By those rules, have should rhyme with save, come with home, said with maid, to with so, you with thou footnote 28.
While Flesch’s book sparked controversy and debate, it highlighted a critical issue in American education. His emphasis on phonics instruction has been supported by subsequent research and remains a cornerstone of effective reading programs today.
Professor Bruce McCandless of Stanford University found that children learning phonics activated the brain circuitry used in reading footnote 29. Those who learned in whole-word methods did not footnote 29. Today, the brain circuitry underlying reading is well understood footnote 29.
Reading, unlike speech, is a cultural phenomenon that must be learned footnote 29.
Comparing Past and Present: Echoes of Concern
The concerns raised in “Why Johnny Can’t Read” resonate with the current literacy crisis. The debate between phonics instruction and other methods continues, and the overreliance on memorization without proper decoding skills remains a concern footnote 30.
In 1974, the Rochester, New York school system was turning out troubled reading students faster than special remedial teachers could solve their problems footnote 28.
One of these teachers, Mary Burkhardt, recalled in her foreword to Why Johnny Still Can’t Read, “The problem was that even sixth-graders were still guessing at words.” As a result, students were far below grade level in reading skills footnote 28.
That summer, the Rochester school board appointed Burkhardt director of reading, which led to the institution of phonics-first instruction in the 46 elementary schools footnote 28. “Change came hard,” she says. “One veteran teacher said we were making a big mistake footnote 28.
Furthermore, the challenges faced by older students who struggle with reading echo Flesch’s observations about the limitations of the “look-say” method. These students often lack the ability to decipher unfamiliar words, hindering their comprehension and overall reading proficiency footnote 28.
In the first Johnny, a passage suggests the shortcomings of the look-and-say method: “A child who had successfully read the word children on a flash card was unable to read it in a book. He insisted that he had never seen the word before. Then he was presented with the flash card and asked how he recognized the word as children. ‘By the smudge in the corner,’ he replied.” footnote 28
Flesch points out that with phonics instruction, a child learns to read by midterm of first grade footnote 28. “There should be no such thing as ‘levels’ of reading,” he says. “Once a child knows how to read, he reads footnote 28. While phonics instruction can significantly accelerate reading development, the timeframe for achieving proficiency varies depending on individual factors and learning needs.
Expert Opinions: Identifying the Root Causes
Experts in education and literacy point to various factors contributing to reading difficulties among different age groups.
Some emphasize the importance of early intervention and the need for a strong foundation in foundational literacy skills footnote 31.
By fourth grade, children are no longer learning to read in the classroom, they’re reading to learn footnote 31. So if they are not ready to make that transition, their reading problems are going to affect how they perform in math, science and social studies footnote 31.
We can also limit social and emotional repercussions by addressing reading difficulties early footnote 31. Making sure that children who struggle learning to read don’t experience a feeling of failure, which can lead to a lack of confidence and giving up, is critical footnote 31. This is why early identification is very important footnote 31. Others highlight the role of cognitive and emotional factors, such as attention deficit disorder and anxiety, which can impede reading development footnote 32.
Researchers also stress the importance of addressing language comprehension difficulties in older students. Even if students can decode words accurately, they may still struggle to understand the meaning of what they read footnote 33. This highlights the need for comprehensive assessments and interventions that target both decoding and comprehension skills.
To gain perspective on how children become readers, researchers looked from the child’s point of view and what they were facing when learning to read footnote 34. “Understanding spoken language is essential footnote 34.” It was an assumption that without knowledge of the language being read, reading couldn’t take place footnote 34.
The fundamental task facing the child is to figure out how print on a page maps onto their spoken language footnote 34. Understanding that the word recognition component combined with the language comprehension component brought to the development of the Simple View of Reading in 1986 by Gough and Tunmer footnote 34.
Dyslexia is a language-processing difficulty caused by the inability to break words into phonemes footnote 35. Experts estimate that dyslexia, the most common reading difficulty, affects as many as 15 percent of all Americans footnote 35. Recent studies show a neurobiological basis for dyslexia, suggesting the potential for early diagnosis and new forms of treatment footnote 35.
This research describes a biological cause of the disorder; evidence that dyslexia does not reflect lack of intelligence, or attention, or effort footnote 35.
Potential Solutions: A Multifaceted Approach
Addressing the literacy crisis requires a multifaceted approach that involves educators, parents, policymakers, and communities. Some potential solutions include:
Early Intervention: Implementing evidence-based reading programs in early childhood education that emphasize phonics instruction, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development. Early literacy experiences, such as language play and exposure to reading, are important in preventing reading difficulties footnote 36.
For example, Reading Eggs is an online reading program that is independently proven to help struggling readers overcome difficulties in a short period of time footnote 37. Used by over 20 million children worldwide, the online reading program is fun, self-paced, and highly motivating for ages 2-13 footnote 37. Reading Eggs is actually a suite of four educational programs: Reading Eggs Junior (ages 2-4), Reading Eggs (ages 3-7), Fast Phonics (ages 5-10), and Reading Eggspress (ages 7-13) footnote 38.
Teacher Training: Providing teachers with professional development opportunities in scientifically-based reading instruction, including strategies for identifying and supporting struggling readers. Explicit, systematic reading programs for dyslexia, such as Lexia® Core5® Reading, offer students a Structured Literacy approach encompassing six key reading areas: Phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, structured analysis, fluency, and comprehension footnote 39. Grounded in the science of reading, Core5 tailors learning paths to each student’s needs, catering to all ability levels, including those with dyslexia and other learning challenges like Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) footnote 39.
Personalized Learning: Tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs of students, including those with learning disabilities or language barriers. Learning Ally is one of the most popular and effective reading programs designed specifically for students with dyslexia footnote 40. The program has been around for about 70 years and continues to be a top-rated program that helps students with learning to read footnote 40. The longstanding and innovative program provides assistance to educators but is particularly helpful for their materials that students can use at home footnote 40. They possess a large collection of audiobooks that can be accessed at home to provide practice with reading outside of the classroom footnote 40.
Engaging Reading Materials: Providing access to high-quality, engaging reading materials that are relevant to students’ interests and backgrounds.
Family Engagement: Encouraging parents to read aloud to their children, engage in literacy activities at home, and create a supportive learning environment. Taking part in literacy experiences at home can develop your child’s reading ability, comprehension, and language skills footnote 41. Activities that you can engage in at home include: joint reading, drawing, singing, storytelling, reciting, game playing, and rhyming footnote 41. You can tailor activities to your child’s age and ability level, and can incorporate technology into your learning opportunities footnote 41.
Technology Integration: Utilizing technology effectively to support reading development, while also mitigating the potential distractions it presents.
Conclusion: A Call to Action
The literacy crisis in America demands immediate attention and action. By understanding the factors contributing to reading difficulties among different age groups, we can develop and implement effective solutions.
This requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders to ensure that every child has the opportunity to become a proficient reader and achieve their full potential. Ignoring this crisis could have detrimental effects on individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole.
Investing in literacy development is not only an educational imperative but also an economic and social necessity. By working together, we can empower future generations with the essential skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.
Footnotes, works cited
1. The reading crisis in Generation Alpha – Hill Top Times, accessed December 22, 2024, https://rockhillmedia.org/24608/carousel/the-reading-crisis-in-generation-alpha/
2. Reading Vs Screening: the Development of Generation Alpha – ePublications at Regis University, accessed December 22, 2024, https://epublications.regis.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2139&context=theses
3. Why do we most of the blame for gen alpha not being able to read : r/GenZ – Reddit, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/GenZ/comments/17y1zpk/why_do_we_most_of_the_blame_for_gen_alpha_not/
4. Reading Levels of Gen Alpha : r/distractible – Reddit, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/distractible/comments/18e2ha8/reading_levels_of_gen_alpha/
5. Alpha generation learning cause for concern – The Charger Online, accessed December 22, 2024, https://thechargeronline.com/7746/chargeronline/alpha-generation-learning-cause-for-concern/
6. Gen Alpha Can’t Read And It’s Worse Than You Think – YouTube, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeVZ9Tb48c0
7. About Us – Literacy Inc., accessed December 22, 2024, https://literacyinc.com/about-us/
8. Purdue Global Tuition and Fees, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/general-education/improve-reading-comprehension-college/
9. Why Some High School Graduates Can’t Read – Classroom to …, accessed December 22, 2024, https://classroomtocorporate.com/2023/04/05/why-some-high-school-graduates-cant-read-a-systemic-failure-in-education/
10. Assessments – Reading | NAEP – National Center for Education Statistics, accessed December 22, 2024, https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/
11. When Older Students Can’t Read – ASCD, accessed December 22, 2024, https://ascd.org/el/articles/when-older-students-cant-read
12. Teaching Reading Skills to Older Children: A Guide – Readability, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.readabilitytutor.com/teaching-reading-skills-to-older-children/
13. when graduates can’t read, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.marykadera.org/blog/when-graduates-cant-read
14. Levels of Reading Comprehension in Higher Education … – Frontiers, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712901/full
15. Reading Comprehension Deficits in Adolescents: Addressing Underlying Language Abilities, accessed December 22, 2024, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5544188/
16. Child Illiteracy in America: Statistics, Facts, and Resources – Regis College Online, accessed December 22, 2024, https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/child-illiteracy/
17. The Challenge | Causes of Low Literacy, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.literacypittsburgh.org/the-challenge/
18. Why is Child Literacy Declining? – My Private Professor, accessed December 22, 2024, https://myprivateprofessor.com/child-literacy-declining/
19. Children’s Illiteracy: What Causes It? – OPUS Open Portal to University Scholarship – Research Days, accessed December 22, 2024, https://opus.govst.edu/research_day/2024/thursday/6/
20. The Literacy Crisis in the U.S. is Deeply Concerning-and Totally Preventable – EdTrust, accessed December 22, 2024, https://edtrust.org/blog/the-literacy-crisis-in-the-u-s-is-deeply-concerning-and-totally-preventable/
21. Failing Grade: Literacy in America – The Policy Circle, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.thepolicycircle.org/brief/literacy/
22. New Study Finds Alarming Lack of Civic Literacy Among Americans …, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/civics/new-study-finds-alarming-lack-of-civic-literacy-among-americans
23. Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, Westerman, and Brownley Introduce Bipartisan READ Act to Improve Literacy Rates Across the Country | Press Releases, accessed December 22, 2024, https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/2021/3/fitzpatrick-houlahan-westerman-and-brownley-introduce-bipartisan-read-act-to-improve-literacy-rates-across-the-country
24. Improving Literacy in the United States: Recommendations for Increasing Reading Success, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/improving-literacy-united-states-recommendations-increasing-reading-success/
25. Federal Reports on Reading Issues, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.readingrockets.org/federal-reports-reading-issues
26. Castle Statement: Hearing on Improving the Literacy Skills of Children and Young Adults, accessed December 22, 2024, https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=173174
27. Why Johnny Can’t Read – Wikipedia, accessed December 22, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Johnny_Can%27t_Read
28. Why Johnny Can’t Read? – New Teacher Library and Tools, accessed December 22, 2024, https://newteacherlibraryandtools.square.site/uploads/b/e4443390-f724-11ec-9291-b5b724deb1dc/Why%20Johnny%20Cant%20Read%20And%20What%20You%20Can%20Do%20About%20It%20(Rudolf%20Flesch)%20(z-lib.org).pdf
29. Why Jonny can’t read: The great disconnect between reading …, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-jonny-cant-read-the-great-disconnect-between-reading-science-and-policy/
30. Why Johnny Can’t Read – Black Maple, accessed December 22, 2024, https://blackmaplemagazine.com/articles/why-johnny-cant-read/
31. UF Health expert: How parents can set children up for reading success, accessed December 22, 2024, https://ufhealth.org/news/2024/uf-health-expert-how-parents-can-set-children-up-for-reading-success
32. Helping children with reading difficulties: some things we have learned so far – PMC, accessed December 22, 2024, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6220295/
33. Enhancing Outcomes for Struggling Adolescent Readers | AdLit, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.adlit.org/topics/about-teaching-reading/enhancing-outcomes-struggling-adolescent-readers
34. Why Johnny Can’t Read | Learning MATTERS, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.learningmatters.co.nz/blog/post/65933/why-johnny-cant-read/
35. Misunderstood Minds . Reading Difficulties | PBS, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/readingdiffs.html
36. Literacy development in children | Raising Children Network, accessed December 22, 2024, https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/play-learning/literacy-reading-stories/developing-literacy
37. The Best Online Reading Program for Struggling Readers, accessed December 22, 2024, https://readingeggs.com/articles/online-reading-program-for-struggling-readers/
38. How to Choose the Best Reading Program for Your Kids, accessed December 22, 2024, https://readingeggs.com/articles/best-reading-program-kids/
39. What Are the Best Dyslexia Reading Programs? | Lexia, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.lexialearning.com/blog/what-is-the-best-reading-program-for-dyslexia
40. Free Reading Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities – Readability, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.readabilitytutor.com/free-reading-program/
41. Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development, accessed December 22, 2024, https://improvingliteracy.org/kit/supporting-your-childs-literacy-development/index.html
42. Stock royalty-free photos and images of Students in the classroom – VistaCreate, accessed December 22, 2024, https://create.vista.com/photos/students-in-the-classroom/
43. Concerned Parent Pictures, Images and Stock Photos – iStock, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/concerned-parent
44. About the Program | Library of Congress Literacy Awards, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/programs/library-of-congress-literacy-awards/about-this-program/
45. Why Johnny Still Can’t Read by Rudolf Flesch – Goodreads, accessed December 22, 2024, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/935404.Why_Johnny_Still_Can_t_Read
