(A note from our good friend and ambassador, Fred Lewis:) What I’ve learned from my ten years of volunteering in school computer labs: The MOST important grade for increasing efficiency and reading skills in school is FIRST GRADE. And first graders can definitely learn to touch-type. No matter what...

Here is a letter I received from a speech pathologist that I met at a dyslexia conference in Seattle.  She was sitting at the same coffee bar and heard me introduce myself to my neighbor.  She leaned toward me and asked earnestly, “Are you the Talking Fingers Jeannine Herron?”  I said...

I want to tell you about an extraordinary man. His name is Fred and he won’t tell me how old he is.  I know about him because he writes passionate emails to me every week about the children and schools he is helping.  This is the story of a superhero, an amazing school volunteer. Fred is a retired...

Pre-K Lessons Linked to TV Produce Gains in Literacy (but with a big caveat!)  This summary is from an article Education Week, Oct 21, 2009. A new study has found that low-income pre-schoolers made significant gains in acquiring skills such as naming letters and knowing the sounds associated with these...

The following statistics are taken from www.ed.gov,  the federal department of education site.  I thought it might be eye-opening to see how far we till have to go in teaching reading and writing.  Although these statistics are depressing, it is necessary to keep a goal in mind.  Our educational...

If you have been reading this blog, you are aware of the importance of phoneme awareness and phonics to the development of early reading skills. You may already have more knowledge now than your child’s teacher.  Parents can find out whether their children will be taught reading well by asking their...