Resisting Science of Reading (SoR)Legislative Policy in California.

• In Event: Navigating the Politics of the Science of Reading Mandates: U.S. and Australian Case Studies

Abstract

From the perspective of the leadership in Bilingual education in California, the SoR movement is deemed ideologically and epistemologically flawed as evidenced by their misrepresentation of research, advocacy of ‘one-size-fits-all’ instructional practices, professional development programs for teachers and materials. Thereupon, the presenter interrogates a number of central issues that the California AB 2222 (SoR) Bill poses/ed:
1. The alleged crisis that children are not reading at 3rd Grade Level especially poor, immigrant, English Learners, Emergent Bilingual Learners, and children of color (Latinos/Afro-American);
2. The misuse of test scores to allege that teachers’ teaching methods are the reason for the children’s failure;
3. The mandating of only one method and prohibiting teaching strategies for enhancing students’ vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension;
4. Supplanting university faculty’s expertise, research, and teacher preparation programs to a reductionist perspective of SoR;
5. Mandating commercial language arts programs, methods, approaches and strategies do not teach students to read and write effectively.
6. Sidelining teachers teaching despite their role in addressing the diversity of how children learn.
Lastly, the presenter will outline the grassroots opposition statewide campaign that included the advocacy voices of parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, non-profits such as California Association for Bilingual Education, Californians Together and the California Committee for Effective Literacy. Details will be given of the collective mobilization strategies and consequences of these efforts.

Author

• Barbara M. Flores, California State University - San Bernardino