Free Book! “The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions”

My book, The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions, is now available in PDF format for FREE here.

Here is the back cover blurb:

Jeff McQuillan has hopeful news for anyone concerned with the state of reading in U.S. schools: Contrary to popular belief, reading achievement has not been declining over the past three decades; U.S. students are not among the worst readers in the world; there is no epidemic of “reading disabilities”; and holistic, progressive approaches to literacy education have not been a wholesale failure. What’s more, children are reading at the same or a better level than they did a generation ago.*

These are not idle claims but facts that the author supports with statistical evidence—all clearly and accessibly presented. The real problem, according to McQuillan, is a simple lack of books. While educators are engaged in the “Great Debate” over whole language or phonics-based approaches, our schools and libraries have been poorly and inequitably supplied. “While instruction can profoundly influence children and their approach to reading,” says McQuillan, “the best way to explain large-scale differences in reading achievement is first to focus on the access to reading materials.”

Who will benefit from this book? Teachers seeking new perspective on the “reading wars.” Administrators struggling to balance curriculum needs with the demand for standardized achievement tests. Parents concerned about the quality of education. In short, anyone concerned with the state of reading in America owes it to themselves—and our children—to investigate The Literacy Crisis.

* This was written in 1998, and it is still true!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email