The Two Essential Questions Every Parent Should Ask Their Child's School Administrator

As parents and caregivers, you all want the best for your children, especially when it comes to their education. Proficient literacy skills serve as the cornerstone for success in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, many schools fall short when it comes to meeting the literacy needs of our children. If you're interested in learning more about this issue, I highly recommend listening to the thought-provoking Sold a Story podcast.

However, there is something proactive you can do as a parent or caregiver. You have the power to be an advocate for your child's education by seeking information about their literacy instruction. I suggest directing your questions to the school administrator, as they hold the responsibility for curriculum decisions, rather than the individual teacher, who often has limited control over the curriculum being used.

The questions you can ask your child's school administrator are: "What does daily phonics instruction look like?" and "Is the reading curriculum based in the Science of Reading?"

Question 1: What does daily phonics instruction look like?

Phonics instruction is a critical component of early literacy development. It teaches children the relationship between letters (graphemes) and their sounds (phonemes). Understanding these fundamental building blocks helps children decode words, develop fluency, and ultimately comprehend what they are reading.

Daily phonics instruction should be explicit and systematic.

Systematic: carefully selected sequence of letter-sound relationships that are organized in a logical order

Explicit: your child's teacher has very clear directions for how to teach those letter-sound relationships to your child.

When children receive consistent and systematic phonics instruction, they develop strong decoding skills, which leads to increased reading accuracy and fluency. This, in turn, allows them to focus more on understanding the text and enjoy the process of reading. Additionally, phonics instruction provides a solid foundation for spelling and writing skills, fostering overall language development.

Question 2: Is the reading curriculum based in the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading is an evidence-based approach that draws upon decades of research to understand how children learn to read and how reading difficulties can be prevented or addressed effectively. It provides a comprehensive approach to reading instruction, ensuring that children receive the necessary skills and strategies to become proficient readers.

Unfortunately, many reading curricula are still promoting ineffective strategies that hinder rather than enhance literacy development. Some curricula rely on teaching children reading "strategies" that are not grounded in evidence and can be detrimental to their progress. These approaches often encourage guessing words based on context or using patterns instead of developing strong phonics and decoding skills.

However, a curriculum rooted in the Science of Reading equips teachers with evidence-based strategies and instructional materials that have proven to be effective in promoting literacy development. These curricula prioritize reinforcing phonics skills and building strong decoding abilities. By focusing on the foundational skills of reading, these curricula provide children with a solid framework for success and enable them to become proficient readers.

Persevering for progress

While asking the school administrator about daily phonics instruction and the alignment with the Science of Reading is essential, it's important that I acknowledge that receiving satisfactory answers may not always be immediate or guaranteed. Some school administrators may not have a thorough understanding of the curriculum or may not prioritize making changes to the curriculum.

If you experience this roadblock, I suggest exploring additional avenues of support. Engaging with fellow parents, joining parent-teacher organizations, and participating in community initiatives centered around literacy can help create a collective voice for change.

Remember, every question asked is a step closer to fostering an educational environment that prioritizes evidence-based practices and empowers our children with the literacy skills they need to thrive. We owe it to our children to continue asking these crucial questions, even in the face of challenges or initial resistance. Together we can drive the necessary changes to ensure that our children receive the highest quality of literacy instruction and achieve the lifelong benefits that come with it.