Coming from ASCD on January 21, 2025.
Preorder now via ASCD or Amazon.
The science of reading movement has done much to improve instruction in foundational skills. But that hard-won progress may be reversed unless we also help children acquire the knowledge and vocabulary they need to understand complex text.
At the same time, the science of learning movement has introduced many educators to evidence-based teaching principles that can be effective for all students. In Beyond the Science of Reading, Natalie Wexler addresses a missing piece of the conversation: the ways in which typical reading comprehension and writing instruction conflicts with those principles.
Natalie also offers practical solutions for bringing science-informed literacy instruction to scale and reveals why
- Teaching phonics isn’t enough to create proficient readers.
- Building knowledge is the key to unlocking reading comprehension.
- Writing instruction holds untapped potential to boost literacy and learning.
- Instruction grounded in cognitive science can narrow achievement gaps.
- Current curriculum evaluation methods may be steering schools wrong.
Beyond the Science of Reading charts a bold path forward to a future where all children read with fluency and understanding and learn with joy. This is an essential resource for educators, policymakers, parents, and anyone who cares about the future of literacy and equity in the United States.
Click here to read the Table of Contents and excerpts from the book.
A sampling of advance praise for Beyond the Science of Reading:
“Learning science is both complex and rapidly evolving. The knowledge it encompasses is essential for anyone concerned with education, but much of it is buried in research journals that are inaccessible to most educators. We need a superb communicator capable of intelligibly explaining complex issues. Natalie Wexler is that person. Her latest book is superb. If you need to know what learning science is currently saying about instructional issues, do not go past this book.”
—John Sweller, emeritus professor of education psychology, School of Education, University of New South Wales
“If you are looking for the best source for acquiring a full understanding of the science of reading, then Natalie Wexler’s Beyond the Science of Reading is your book. It makes an eloquent case and lays out a plan for right-sizing phonics instruction, for accelerating knowledge acquisition, and for building effective, coherent curriculum. Wexler’s recommendations would maximize intellectual engagement as they impart critical reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills–facilitated by the proven elements of high-quality, explicit instruction. If these things matter to you, read this book.”
— Mike Schmoker, author of Results Now 2.0 and Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning
Natalie Wexler offers a masterclass in why the reading debate is about more than just phonics or reading, why it matters, and how leaders can cut through the debate to help students learn far more than most do today. This book is a tutorial for anyone interested in this vital issue and a road map for policymakers who want to expand access to opportunity by giving people the gift and power of literacy.
— Andy Rotherham, Eduwonk.com, Bellwether, Virginia Board of Education
It’s about time that the science of how we learn was connected to how we learn to read! Reading, together with writing, is the basis for all further learning. Natalie Wexler makes this connection perfectly. We can only learn to read, and enjoy reading, if we heed the general principles of learning (the science of learning) and apply them to reading instruction within a content-rich environment. Both are prerequisites for successfully learning to read, and being able to read and understand is a precondition for being a knowledgeable and good citizen. This book is a large and important step toward science-informed reading instruction.
— Paul A. Kirschner, emeritus professor of educational psychology, Open Universiteit, The Netherlands
Accessible, informative, and timely! Wexler skillfully merges the conversation on the science of reading with the science of learning, while centering the role of knowledge building. Understanding how people learn is foundational to understanding how to teach. This book is an essential resource for teacher preparation programs!
—Sonia Q. Cabell, associate professor of reading education, Florida State University, lead editor of Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy
To read additional endorsements, visit the Beyond the Science of Reading page on the ASCD website.
Listen to interviews with Natalie about Beyond the Science of Reading:
PODCASTS:
Principal Center Radio with Justin Baeder
Melissa and Lori Love Literacy
VIDEOS:
Looking Beyond the Science of Reading, Imagine Learning