The assessment was carried out by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a part of the Department of Education. It was based on the performance of students in 12 states who were in grades one to three during the 2004-5 and 2005-6 school years. In presenting the findings, Russ Whitehurst, director of the IES, said, "It's possible that, in implementing Reading First, there is a greater emphasis on decoding skills and not enough emphasis, or maybe not correctly structured emphasis, on reading comprehension."

If anything, Whitehurst understated the problem. The history of reading instruction shows that comprehension receives almost no serious attention in the curriculum. For example, back in 1998, a prestigious government sponsored study was carried out, aimed at "promoting optimal literacy instruction." It was titled Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. If you turn to that material, you will find the index to contain over 200 references to phonology and related sound analysis activities, but only about 60 references to anything concerned with comprehension.

One of the keys to comprehension is what is termed “the main idea.” That refers to the ability to take the varied and numerous details in a story and extract the unifying theme that holds them together. Hard as it may be to believe, teachers are offered almost no systematic instruction for fostering this vital aspect of reading. For the most part, the problem is shifted on to the children by asking them “what was the main idea.” It might be phrased in different words –such as “what was the story about?” Regardless of the words used, what is happening is not teaching, but testing. The children are being asked to come up with the right answer—without having received any instruction in how to get to that answer.

For many, the question becomes one that is feared and avoided. Sometimes, as intelligent beings are wont to do, the children come up with clever defenses. One fourth grader proudly reported the strategy he had devised. “The main idea? I don’t have a clue. But it doesn’t matter. Most of the questions are on details. So I can still get an 80 or 90% score without ever understanding the main idea.”

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are effective, albeit ignored, methods that can be extremely effective. Given the history of bureaucracies, schools are likely to take years before they implement the necessary procedures. However, parents who are committed to their children’s success do not have the luxury of waiting.

One of the most effective methods is to use the powerful technique of modeling. Here, the adult formulates a well-organized main idea about a particular piece of material that the child has read. At the outset, it should involve no more than three or four points. That summary serves as a model for the end product that the child needs to achieve.

You involve the child in the process step by step. Specifically, with the summary in hand, you offer the first point contained in the summary—pausing to allow the child to complete the idea. If the child cannot offer the information, you provide it for him or her. You then ask the child to restate the complete idea. You continue in this manner for the next two or three points—until the summary is complete. Then you ask the child to restate the entire summary. He or she need not use the identical words, but the key ideas should be present. If they are not, you repeat the process –from the start.

Initially, it may take a number of sessions before the child can restate summaries smoothly and easily. But if you regularly engage your child in the process, within a few weeks, you should begin to see major improvements in your child’s ability in this vital, but for so long, neglected sphere of reading.