America’s Embarrassing Reading Crisis: Working Towards a Solution

08/30/2022 | By Donna Taylor More

By Dr. Lisa Richardson Hassler

More than 80 percent of students who fail to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in third grade. How many of these children had dyslexia and went through the educational system without proper diagnosis or interventions to help?
We all want our children to learn and thrive. We want them to achieve measurable success–and live up to the vast potential inside each of them. But in order to do that, we must tackle the biggest problem facing America today: reading. Without proper reading skills, our workforce is less robust, job opportunities are more limited, and people’s lives are held hostage as their own self-worth becomes diminished.
Yet, the pandemic brought forth valuable lessons. The global crisis shed light on another, lesser known, pandemic already in play for children across America. At first, parents, teachers, and other educators grappled with online teaching. Then, however, came profound lessons about teaching reading to young students–and the success that followed–because of virtual education.

America’s Embarrassing Reading Crisis: WHAT WE LEARNED FROM COVID is a reality check on an issue we have long been avoiding. Now, there are no more excuses; it’s time to take action. Author and accomplished educator Lisa Hassler dives into her own struggles and triumphs as a mother of a child with dyslexia and as a teacher to provide solutions to parents, teachers, and educational leaders in order to set our students up for successful futures.
The key to raising successful children is setting the stage for being a successful adult. Hassler is not only sounding the alarm with this book some educators are calling “a must-read for modern classrooms,” she’s offering a framework by which to ensure young readers are reading on grade level starting today. All children can learn to read, and deserve a bright future.