New Age Reading Education

Durham, N. C. – Employers are finding it harder and harder to find staffers who can write clearly and coherently, and colleges and universities are largely to blame, Professor Nan Miller told the audience at a conference here.

Students aren't learning composition any more. Instead, classes are likely to resemble brainstorming sessions, with a "facilitator" who teaches the latest notions in "composition theory". Some of the reasons for the change in approach include:

• "Research shows that students cannot pay attention for more than 20 minutes.
• "The goal is to show students how to write like members of different communities.
• "You need to consider that holistic schooling is more effective than traditional grading.
• "Textbooks inhibit writing."

It used to be that English composition was taught in high school. Now it's possible to graduate from college unable to write clearly.

Such memories give us pause and force us to ask yet again: How progressive is progressive education?