NJ Education Report

Susan Miller is the Assistant Director of the Robinowitz Education Center, a NJ certified LDT-C, certified Dyslexia Therapist, and teacher trainer. She is excited to lead a group of knowledgeable, dedicated individuals serving on the first board of NJ’s Chapter of The Reading League

We know from previous reports on NJ Education Report that our colleges and universities are not fully preparing classroom teachers in the science of reading. Additional research conducted by Dr. Malt Joshi found that only 15% of university faculty could name the five major findings of the National Reading Panel. School districts in turn end up spending tens of thousands of dollars every year to fill this knowledge gap.

As for our youngest students, several myths continue to persist among school administrators, educators, and parents — young learners can’t be screened for potential reading disorders until they are in second grade, English Language learners’ reading difficulties are solely due to second language acquisition issues, students with low IQ levels will not learn how to read. Decades of research and practice utilizing such research says otherwise. Misinformation also abounds in New Jersey — the “science of reading” is just a fancy term for drill and kill phonics instruction and its use will eliminate rich, engaging literature from the curriculum. 

A new organization will be launched next week that strives to share and engage parents and educators in the Science of Reading. The Robinowitz Education Center (REC) is honored to announce that it will be the home of the New Jersey Chapter of The Reading League. REC shares The Reading League’s mission to advance awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction in all schools.

We know that all students require equitable access to expert reading instruction. The New Jersey chapter’s website will feature free and low cost resources and professional development opportunities to assist administrators, supervisors and classroom teachers make the shift to implementing decades of high-quality research evidence in their districts.

Please join us on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 to learn more about The Reading League and meet the Board Members of the NJ Chapter. We hope to see you there.

Use this Google Form link to register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmQnR4Hq1JuWLgN4f_NTnsS23pjm-t2pQC5-ZPGVnrkXMJDA/viewform?usp=pp_url