As examples, they cite the way science is becoming a forum for debating issues such as global warming, genetically modified crops and nuclear power. Critics of the new approach also claim that this approach, which was designed to make science more popular, has actually backfired since fewer students want to study higher level science than in years previously.

It's tempting to bemoan the decline of standards and talk about how much better everything was in "the good old days." But that is neither sensible nor accurate. There are huge advantages in modernizing and molding the curriculum so that students see their studies as domains relevant to their lives. At the same time, the elimination of facts in the curriculum is a serious concern. Without solid facts, discussions of issues are essentially empty.

The problems are by no means confined to England. A staple of the Jay Leno TV show is his questioning passersby--so as to expose their massive lack of information about almost anything and everything. His job is not hard to do--given that more than a fifth of the American population thinks that the sun goes around the earth and a comparable number think that it takes the earth one day to go around the sun.

While there are lots of reasons to advocate for the teaching of “the facts,” for those interested in fostering reading, that goal is absolutely critical. It's almost impossible to read books on any key issue if you do not have a fund of information that makes the ideas meaningful.

The problem is complex and any solution will have to consider a variety of factors. The age of the students is one of these factors. Ideally, as with most things in education, the groundwork should be laid in the early years—well before the child has to deal with material that requires lots of “fact knowledge.” There is plenty of time to do that since information based material is usually not required till about fourth grade. So the early primary grades offer allow lots of time to build the base that is needed.

Unfortunately, this generally does not happen in school. The early primary grades offer children relatively few opportunities to expand their fund of information about the world. In those years, the books that the children read tend to be simple stories (narratives about animals or people) where almost no significant information is provided or required.

So what is a parent to do? Happily, you have a wonderful resource in the bedtime reading you do with your child. Since you, and not your child, are doing the reading, the language can be fairly complex. Young children can follow intricate language that they hear--years before they can deal with that same language in print. Fortunately, there is an enormous range of well-designed books that you can offer to build up your child’s knowledge of "facts." They cover biographies, historical events, scientific developments, ancient civilizations and on and on. The key is to select well-written books that hold your child’s interest. If you want some specific guidance, the reference librarian at your local library is a wonderful resource.

And for the best outcome, it's important to avoid turning the experience into a test where you question your child about the reading. When not besieged by questions, children are far more relaxed. And with relaxation, the children are likely to begin to ask you questions. Like Sargeant Friday, they are going to want "the facts."