Stop Looking for Shortcuts in Education

Once upon a time, the education community was convinced that phonics, spelling, and grammar didn’t matter. They were told that reading to students, exposing them to a wide variety of stories, and simply surrounding them with books would somehow instill in them the knowledge they needed, and they would “fall in love with reading”. At some point along the way, someone (probably a veteran teacher) noticed that phonics was necessary for students to learn to read, so they attempted to bring “balance” to reading instruction.

Fast forward a few decades, and schools started scrambling to train their teachers in the “Science of Reading” and find a curriculum that effectively teaches spelling and grammar. (Oddly enough, many classrooms today could be described as “book deserts” because of their lack of physical books. So much for “surrounding students with books”.) Unfortunately, a whole generation lost out on solid literacy instruction.

In the last decade or so, the same education community was convinced by the tech industry that schools no longer needed paper, pencils, and books to educate students. They were sold the lie that one-to-one devices and “engaging” apps could provide everything students needed and that they would do it faster and better.

The result: we’re now seeing elementary students who can’t hold pencils or write their names properly. We have middle and high school students who are unable to read whole books. And college professors are lamenting that their students lack the ability to write essays without the help of AI.

As before, when schools ditched the foundations of literacy instruction, the realization that new doesn’t always mean better, excuses, justifications, and rationalizations are flying. In response to the devastating consequences of ditching pencils, paper, and books for digital devices, some people are suggesting that we just need to find a “balance” when it comes to devices in the classroom.

We keep fighting the same battle in K-12 education decade after decade. Someone comes along with an “innovative” way to make learning more “engaging”, “fun”, and easier. (Of course, they can provide “research” to prove that it’s effective. They just don’t tell anyone that the research is weak and largely provided by interested parties.) The education community is entranced by it. Only after pouring billions of dollars into the method, program, or equipment needed do teachers (and sometimes administrators) recognize the problems.

Education is the formation of a human being. It is the slow, sometimes arduous process of leading students to knowledge and helping them make connections with that knowledge. It requires explicit instruction, repetition, and practice. Education requires time, effort (on the part of teachers and students), and patience. There is no fast-track or loophole.

State education leaders, school board members, district superintendents, and school leaders need to quit getting distracted by every shiny new edu-fad that comes along. There are tried-and-true methods that have worked for eons. Instead of being sucked in by the empty promises of “quick fixes”, we should all be working to understand and refine what has worked in the past so this next generation receives the most excellent education imaginable.

This started as a post on X, but it’s been on my mind ever since, and I thought it deserved more time and attention. I’d love to hear feedback from readers.