Amid a deepening literacy crisis, there’s been a focus on how to close the achievement gap, but Natalie Wexler sees the key problem undermining the American educational system a little differently.

It seems like an obvious statement: It’s easier for readers to understand a text they already know something about. But this commonsense idea, backed by research, has big implications for reading ...

The purpose of going to school is to learn, but students may find certain topics difficult to understand if they don't have the necessary background knowledge. This is one of the conclusions of a ...

A remarkable long-term study by University of Virginia researchers led by David Grissmer demonstrates unusually robust and beneficial effects on reading achievement among students in schools that ...

Editor’s Note: Click on the words highlighted in this story to pull up a definition and short research summary. Reading comprehension is a complex endeavor. It’s heavily dependent on learning new ...

Our testing system is based on the idea that reading comprehension can be measured independently of what kids know, but science indicates otherwise. The American education system rests in large part ...

Educators don’t need to choose between building students’ knowledge and teaching reading comprehension strategies. The question isn’t whether to teach strategies—it’s how to do it and when. “Are we ...

The Hechinger Report covers one topic: education. Sign up for our newsletters to have stories delivered to your inbox. Consider becoming a member to support our nonprofit journalism. In early April ...

A lot of people are concerned that American kids aren't learning to read. And rightly so. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows only about a third of fourth-graders are ...