Science of reading helps English language learners, study finds  

Lauded as a solution to the nation’s escalating literary crisis, the science of reading is taking early childhood education by storm.  

Policymakers from coast to coast – including Alabama, Massachusetts, Kansas and Ohio – are working to revitalize reading instruction, since alarmingly two-thirds of America’s fourth graders can’t read at grade level.  

Now, researchers from the University of Kansas have found the science of reading can benefit English Language Learners (ELLs) too.  

In a KU study published in Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, ELLs were given half an hour of science-based tutoring twice a week for 10 weeks. The research focused on whether the science of reading – and its counterpart, the science of math – could help ELLs with word-based math problems.  

“Word problem-solving is influenced by both the science of reading and the science of math,” said Michael Orosco, a KU professor of educational psychology and the study’s lead author. “Utilizing direct and explicit teaching methods enhances understanding and enables students to effectively connect these skills to solve math problems.  

“This integrated approach ensures that students are equipped with necessary tools to navigate both the linguistic and numerical demands of word problems.”  

In the 1980s and ’90s, a reading instruction method called the “three-cueing system,” or the “whole language” approach, suggested students were better readers when they used context or other clues to guess what a word might be. But education researchers have since found the phonics-based approach – sounding out each letter to form a word – is superior. 

It has become known as the “science of reading.” 

The KU study found significant improvement among ELLs tutored with a phonics-based approach as opposed to the control group, which only received general instruction.  

There are currently 5 million ELLs in America’s public schools, making up 10% of the K-12 population.  

Exploding immigration rates put financial and logistical burdens on public schools, as ELLs are thousands of dollars more expensive to educate, and they create practical dilemmas such as how to handle unvaccinated immigrant students.  

Robust literacy instruction is just as important for non-ELLs, as early reading proficiency has a huge impact on life outcomes.  

“Kids who reach fourth grade without being able to read proficiently are more likely to struggle academically and eventually drop out of school,” reports the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Low reading proficiency also can reduce earning potential and chances for career success as adults.” 

Yet, a 2023 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) found most teacher education programs aren’t instructing educators in the science of reading. In fact, half the undergraduate elementary education programs in Kansas’ universities received failing grades from the NCTQ.  

The University of Kansas, which just proved phonics helps ELLs, was given a B.