I’m Hiba Ahmad - a name y’all may not all be familiar with, but I’m a reporter and producer here at NPR taking a break from my regular gig over at Weekend Edition with Scott Simon and Ayesha Rascoe to dig into some stories with the education team.
Let’s get into it. I want you to try and do this reading exercise with me: Say the word “pat.”
Note down the sounds being made. You should end up with something like… “puh - AH - tt”
How many sounds did you hear? If you answered three, then you are correct and get a bowl of leftover Valentine’s Day candy.
So that was a quick phonics lesson, which is a method of reading instruction that’s backed up by science. You’ll probably hear it if you ever walk by an elementary classroom.
But get this: last year, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) conducted a survey of 700 teacher training programs across the country and found that about 25 percent of new teachers are not trained in researched-backed reading methods, like phonics.
Now this comes at a time when reading scores among students are at a low, according to the Nation’s Report Card, and teachers and legislators alike are trying to figure out the best way to get kids reading again.
So in response, some teacher preparation programs are amending their literacy curriculums to be more aligned with the “science of reading,” which is a phrase I’m sure many of you have seen circulating around. Science of reading incoporates phonics, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, among other techniques.
Yet another FAFSA problem: Many noncitizens can't fill it out. This rejection has been a common error for students with parents who don't have a Social Security number. Following NPR's reporting, the U.S. Education Department said it was aware of the problem and that staff were meeting daily to resolve it. They recommended that students with parents who aren't citizens should wait to fill out the form online, but were unable to provide any timeline for the fix. Read the story here.
The bubonic plague has cropped in the state of Oregon for the first time in nearly a decade. This time, a person likely caught it from their cat, health officials in the central part of the state said last week. Doctors identified the disease quickly and treated the person with antibiotics. They also tracked down all the person's contacts (and the cat's contacts) and gave them medication as well. So they don't expect the disease to spread or cause any deaths. Read the story here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon drop its isolation guidance for people with COVID-19. The planned change was reported in The Washington Post on Tuesday, attributed to several unnamed CDC officials. Read more here.
Abbott Elementary is back! The ABC series is a workplace sitcom set at a severely underfunded Philadelphia public school, and ICYMI, it's a giant hit. It's become an Emmys darling, including two wins for its creator and star Quinta Brunson. Abbott Elementary just returned for its long-awaited third season, so in this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, they are revisiting their conversation about the show's first season. Listen to the episode here.
As always, thank you for reading and listening!
— The NPR Ed team
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