New reading textbooks, same problem: Why children’s reading scores in the US aren’t rising
- Written by Shawn Datchuk, Associate Professor of Special Education, University of Iowa
Approximately 34% of U.S. fourth grade students without disabilities and 72% of students with disabilities scored below basic reading levels in 2024. Anna Maslennikova/iStock/Getty Images Plus Recently, I worked with a group of elementary teachers in Iowa to select new reading textbooks and software. They wanted new materials to improve their...

