譯/周辰陽
「孩子們不識字」：美教育機構面對激烈反彈
In suburban Houston, parents rose up against a top-rated school district, demanding an entirely new reading curriculum.
在休士頓郊區，家長們站出來反對一個排名前列的學區，要求全新的閱讀教材。
At an elementary school in Hutchinson, Minnesota, a veteran teacher is crusading for reform, haunted by the fear that, for 28 years, she failed children because she was not trained in the cognitive science behind reading.
在明尼蘇達州哈欽森的一所小學，有位經驗豐富的教師正投身改革運動。28年來，她被有負於孩子的恐懼糾纏，因為她沒有受過閱讀背後的認知科學訓練。
And Ohio may become the latest state to overhaul reading instruction, under a plan by Gov. Mike DeWine.
根據州長狄懷恩的一項計畫，俄亥俄州可能成為最新全面修訂閱讀教學的州。
"The evidence is clear," DeWine said. "The verdict is in."
狄懷恩說，「證據確鑿，判決已下」。
A revolt over how children are taught to read, steadily building for years, is now sweeping school board meetings and statehouses around the country.
一場關於怎麼教孩子們閱讀的起義多年來穩定發展，現正席捲全國各地的教育委員會會議與州議會。
The movement, under the banner of "the science of reading," is targeting the education establishment: school districts, literacy gurus, publishers and colleges of education, which critics say have failed to embrace the cognitive science of how children learn to read.
打著「閱讀科學」的旗號，這場運動瞄準教育機構：學區、識字導師、出版商跟教育學院，批評人士說這些機構未能接納兒童怎麼學習閱讀的認知科學。
Research shows that most children need systematic, sound-it-out instruction — known as phonics — as well as other direct support, like building vocabulary and expanding students' knowledge of the world.
研究表明，大多數兒童需要系統化、將每個音節唸出的指導方式，也就是名為「自然發音」的教學及其他的直接支持，像是增進字彙和擴展學生們對世界的認識。
The movement has drawn support across economic, racial and political lines. Its champions include parents of children with dyslexia; civil rights activists with the NAACP; lawmakers from both sides of the aisle; and everyday teachers and principals.
這個運動吸引了跨越經濟、種族與政治界線的支持，它的擁護者包括了患有讀寫障礙孩子的雙親、美國有色人種促進會的民權活動家、來自兩黨的立法者以及普通的教師與校長。
Together, they are getting results.
他們正在一起取得成果。
Ohio, California and Georgia are the latest states to push for reform, adding to almost 20 states that have made moves in the past two years. Under pressure, school districts are scrapping their old reading programs. Even holdouts like New York City, where hundreds of elementary schools were loyal to a popular but heavily criticized reading curriculum, are making changes.
俄亥俄州、加州與喬治亞州是最新推動改革的州，加入已在過去二年採取行動的近20個州。迫於壓力，學區正在廢棄他們的舊閱讀計畫。甚至像紐約市這樣的死硬派也在做出改變，當地數以百計小學仍忠於流行卻飽受批評的閱讀教材。
About 1 in 3 children in the United States cannot read at a basic level of comprehension, according to a key national exam. The outcomes are particularly troubling for Black and Native American children, nearly half of whom score "below basic" by eighth grade.
根據一項重要的全國考試，美國約三分之一兒童閱讀能力無法達到基本的理解程度。對於黑人與美國原住民兒童來說，結果尤其令人不安，其中將近半數在八年級時成績「低於基本程度」。
"The kids can't read — nobody wants to just say that," said Kareem Weaver, an activist with the NAACP in Oakland, California, who has framed literacy as a civil rights issue and stars in a new documentary, "The Right to Read."
加州奧克蘭的美國有色人種促進會社運人士韋佛說，「孩子們無法閱讀，沒人願意就這麼說」。他界定識字為民權問題，並在一部新紀錄片《閱讀的權利》演出。
Science of reading advocates say the reason is simple: Many children are not being correctly taught.
閱讀科學的倡議者說，原因很簡單：許多兒童沒有得到正確的教導。
