For decades, elementary schools all across the United States have been employing a flawed method of reading instruction known as balanced literacy. This method essentially teaches children to guess at words using context clues rather than sound them out with systematic phonics.
Irene Daria knows the ineffectiveness of this method first-hand. While she is currently a developmental psychologist who specializes in teaching children to read, she was once the parent of a child who did not learn to read in school. Her new book, "I Didn't Believe Him," traces her son, Eric's, journey through kindergarten and first grade as a representation of the thousands of children who failed to learn to read in school.
