AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS SPRING 2003 The Cause. The Cure. In fourth grade, poor childrens reading comprehension starts a drastic decline— " " , and rarely recovers. The cause: They hear millions fewer words at home than > do their advantaged peers— and since H | words represent knowledge, they don’t gain the knowledge that underpins . reading comprehension. The cure: ? Immerse these children, and the many * others whose comprehension is low, in words and the knowledge the words represent— as early as possible. Hirsch, Jr. Betty Hart & Todd R. Risley ■ Isabel L. Beck THIS YEAR IN SOUTH AFRICA, MORE THAN 1,000 TEACHERS WILL DIE OF AIDS. In Zimbabwe more than 30 What if percent of the country’s teachers carry HIV. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren have lost a parent to the epidemic. Throughout Africa, the statistics tell a similar story-teachers’ lives lost and whole education systems 30 percent endangered. ofyour THE AFT LAUNCHED a multi-year, multi-country campaign in partnership with African teacher unions to provide resources to fight the spread of this deadly disease. But we need your help to make this campaign a success. teachers Your contribution to the campaign will go directly for union initiatives in Africa to provide resources for HIV/AIDS education, teaching materials, and supplies. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please make your check had a deadly payable to AFTEF and mail to the address below. ^ FOR MORE INFORMATION about the AFT-Africa AIDS Campaign, visit the AFT-AFRICA disease? AIDS CAMPAIGN AFT’s Web site at www.aft.org/africa_aids, or write us at AFT-Africa AIDS A project of the American Campaign, AFT Educational Foundation, 555 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation Washington, DC 20001. THE AFT-AFRICA AIDS CAMPAIGN IS A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, A NON-PROFIT, TAX-EXEMPT 501(c)(3) ORGANIZATION. ilGAN Spring 2003 4 The Early Catastrophe 30 Filling the Nonfiction Void The 30 Million Word Gap By Nell K. Duke, V. Susan By Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley Bennett-Armistead, and By age three, children from privileged families have Ebony M. Roberts heard 30 million more words than children from poor Listening to and reading nonfiction families. By kindergarten the gap is even greater. The develops vocabulary, builds domain consequences are catastrophic. knowledge, and for many kids, motivates more reading. So why is it 10 Heading Comprehension largely absent from the early grades? Requires Knowledge—of Words and the World Taking Delight in Words Scientific Insights into the Fourth- Grade Slump and Stagnant Using Oral Language To Build Young Reading Comprehension Children's Vocabularies By E.D. Hirsch, Jr. By Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, With a scientific consensus established on how best to and Linda Kucan teach decoding, we’ve reached the next reading frontier: We can’t wait until third and fourth increasing reading comprehension. Among poor children, grade to start building vocabulary. *// %. low comprehension is ruining their chances for academic Before children can read success. Among all children, comprehension scores are complicated words and stagnant. Convincing research tells us that key to both texts themselves, teacher problems is to systematically build childrens vocabulary, read-alouds and playful fluency, and domain knowledge. discussions are the key to ’loping “jocose linguaphiles. Research Round-Up 14 Poor Children's Fourth-Grade Slump By Jeanne S. Chall and Vicki A. Jacobs 18 Words Are Learned Incrementally Over Multiple Exposures By Steven A. Stahl 23 Oral Comprehension Sets the Ceiling on Reading Comprehension By Andrew Biemiller 24 Lost Opportunity By Kate Walsh Basal readers squander the chance to provide what teachers need: a systematic program that builds the Cover illustrated by knowledge that propels comprehension. Michael Gibbs 2 Letters 42 A Lost Eloquence By Carol Muske-Dukes Derided as part o f a drill and kill pedagogy, the practice o f memorizing poetry is almost extinct. Along with it, were losing a vital source o f eloquence— the ability to quote and an inner ear for cadence. The Professional Journal of the American Federation of Teachers Volume 27, No. 1 Spring 2003 SANDRA FELDMAN President American Federation of Teachers Ruth Wattenberg most important reason for the high editor Teachers Need Incentives— turnover rate of inner city schools. In­ Lisa Hansel and Schools With Discipline assistant editor experienced teachers are placed in low- After reading Cynthia Prince’s thorough Sandra Hendricks performing schools because they do not coverage of the need for tangible incen­ copy/production editor know better and they have no tenure. Jennifer Chang tives to keep quality teachers in low- Experienced teachers simply refuse to production/editorial assistant achieving schools (“Attracting Well- Christine Fetzko work in low-performing schools be­ Qualified Teachers to Struggling editorial intern cause they know there is a correlation Schools,” Winter 2002), I wanted to Andrew Bornstein between low academic performance and designer/art director share my personal experience in this verbal and physical violence in these American Educator (USPS 008-462) area. I’m in my seventh year in a low- schools. is published quarterly by the income district plagued, not-surpris- American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO In addition, experienced teachers 555 N ew Jersey Ave. N.W . ingly, with consistently abysmal state know that the rights of the child take Washington, DC 20001-2079 test scores. The challenges and stressors Telephone: 202-879-4420 precedence over the rights of the of teaching in this environment far sur­ American Educator is mailed to all A FT teacher, teacher. Experienced teachers know that higher education, and other school-related pass any I faced during my former years the ones who make the rules— child ad­ professional members. Annual subscription price: as a naval officer. Just recently, I had all $1.75 (included in membership dues) and available vocates, administrators, and district su­ only as a part of membership. Others may subscribe but made my mind up to take my skills perintendents— are all safely out of the by mailing $8 by check or money order to the and leave, find a position in a wealthier address above. classroom and tucked away in offices. district—with educated parents for sup­ Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC, and While they advocate for the rights of additional mailing offices. port, dynamic administrators, all those every child to a proper education, no Postmaster: Send address changes to things I fantasized about. As if on cue, I American Educator one ever thinks to teach these children was contacted by the Troops to Teach­ 555 N ew Jersey Ave. N.W . an important lesson: that with rights Washington, DC 20001-2079 ers program (a federal organization set come responsibilities. Everyone has Members: To change your address, please cut out up to place military veterans as teachers your label with code numbers from the back of the rights in this world, not just children. and aides in poor school districts) and magazine and mail it with your new address to the As a teacher, I have a right to a safe address above. offered an attractive bonus if I agreed to work environment, free from harass­ American Educator cannot assume responsibility stay where I was for three more years. for unsolicited manuscripts. Please allow a ment and abuse. Unfortunately, the sys­ minimum of four weeks for copyright permission I’m staying. The money is a factor, for tem doesn’t see it that way. requests. sure, in my decision, but I also feel re­ The consequences are revealed in one Letters to the Editor may be sent by regular mail ally great about being noticed for what to the address above or via e-mail to horror story after another. Teachers are [email protected]. I’m doing and the conditions in which threatened, verbally abused, and physi­ Signed articles and advertisements do not I’m doing it. Please commend Troops cally attacked with little or no conse­ necessarily represent the viewpoints or policies of to Teachers for what they’re doing and the American Federation of Teachers. quences for the student. The most trou­ promote this as a model to other orga­ General advertising office blesome students receive the most at­ 555 N ew Jersey Ave. N.W . nizations, both federal and private. tention, while the vast majority of stu­ Washington, DC 20001-2079 —N a n c y E . N e v il Telephone: 202-879-4420 Waukegan, IL dents who want to learn are left to Advertising Sales Representative make do with what little attention they Peter Li, Inc. 801 Wells St., Suite 901 can get. If a teacher attempts to have a Chicago, IL 60607 Cynthia Prince’s article on the problems student removed from the classroom 800-799-5080 struggling schools face was timely and 312-939-1344 for even one day, the paperwork alone American Educator is produced with the assistance informative, but gave only glancing proves draining and ultimately point­ of members of Local 2, Office and Professional mention to an issue that deserves an en­ less, as the student is returned to the Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, and members of AFT Staff Union. Composition and tire article of its own— disciplining classroom in a day or two. The student printing are done in 100 percent union shops. troublesome students. remains unchanged, except the student © American Federation of Teachers, 2003. Students who verbally and physically now knows that the penalties for misbe­ mjklmk ®<^|g^s>3 abuse teachers are probably the single havior are indeed quite painless. For an 2 AMERICAN EDUCATOR SPRING 2003 institution that is supposed to prepare our youth for the real world, this is a terrible betrayal of the student and our society.