How Did We Get Here? The Reading Crisis No One Talks About | SOR Blog Post 3

If we now know what works in teaching reading, why are so many kids still struggling?

To answer that, we have to look back.

A History of Good Intentions — And Bad Outcomes

In the 1980s and 1990s, the education world saw a major shift in how reading was taught. Instead of teaching kids how to break down words through phonics — a method grounded in how the brain learns to read — schools across the U.S. began adopting what became known as the whole language approach.

The idea? That reading is a natural process, like speaking. If you surrounded kids with books, read aloud frequently, and encouraged them to "guess" unfamiliar words using pictures or context, they would eventually become fluent readers.

It sounded good. It felt good. But it wasn’t backed by science.

And it led to one of the biggest educational disasters in recent history.

The Rise of Balanced Literacy

When cracks started showing in the whole language model, many districts moved to a compromise: balanced literacy. This approach tried to combine phonics with whole language ideas — but often without any real structure or sequence. Phonics was sprinkled in, but not systematically taught. Students were still encouraged to use "three-cueing" strategies like:

• Look at the picture

• Guess what would make sense

• Check the first letter

The result? Students memorized words instead of decoding them. They relied on guessing, not reading.

The Impact: A Generation Left Behind

This approach failed an entire generation of readers. And we have the data to prove it.

• According to the Nation’s Report Card, more than 60% of fourth-graders in the U.S. are not proficient in reading.

• In some low-income communities, that number jumps to 80–90%.

• Nearly 1 in 5 children are dyslexic — and whole language/balanced literacy approaches actively prevent them from learning to read.

• Incarceration statistics reflect this literacy crisis: Over 70% of people in prison read below a fourth-grade level.

The truth is: reading is not a natural process. The brain is not wired to read. It has to be taught explicitly and systematically — and that’s exactly what the Science of Reading supports.

Why Is It Taking So Long to Switch Back?

It’s a slow process — painfully slow — for a few key reasons:

• Teacher Training: Most teacher prep programs still don’t teach the science of reading. Many educators enter the classroom without ever learning how kids actually learn to read.

• Curriculum Inertia: Districts have invested millions in materials rooted in balanced literacy. It’s hard to walk away from that — even when the research is clear.

• Politics & Publishing: Yes, even reading instruction gets caught in political agendas and publishing company profits.

So here we are — with decades of research showing what works, yet an entire system struggling to course-correct.

Structured Literacy: A Solution for All Learners

Here’s the powerful thing: structured literacy, grounded in the science of reading, doesn’t just help kids with dyslexia — it helps every child.

When we teach reading in a way that aligns with how the brain works, we remove barriers. We stop relying on guessing and start building real, transferable reading skills.

• Kids with dyslexia get what they need.

• English language learners get clear, scaffolded instruction.

• Struggling readers gain confidence.

• Strong readers build mastery and depth.

No One Gets Left Behind.

That’s what makes this shift so urgent — and so possible.

What’s Next?

The fight to bring structured literacy back into classrooms is already underway. States are beginning to pass reading legislation. Schools are adopting evidence-based curriculums. Teachers, parents, and advocates are demanding change.

But we need more voices. More urgency. More understanding.

In our next posts, we’ll break down what structured literacy actually looks like in practice, how to start using it even if your school hasn’t adopted it yet, and simple steps parents and teachers can take right now to support struggling readers.

Because reading changes lives. And the system may be slow to change — but we don’t have to be.