Broken Promises: Reading Instruction in Twentieth-Century America (Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series)

Shannon argues that a combination of psychology, science, and capitalism has transformed reading from a means of personal and social empowerment into an ability to perform well on tests and has transformed learning from a human transaction between teacher and student into an exchange between things--commercially packaged reading materials--and students. To rationalize reading instruction according to these principles, he says, is to silence the voices of readers and teachers. These compelling new ideas, carefully grounded in research, show how popular solutions to problems in reading instruction--mastery learning, merit pay, and school effectiveness research--actually work against improving teachers' instructional behavior and children's learning ability. A rallying call for teachers of reading, a tool for change, and a most provocative text for students of reading at all levels.