Reading skill is something we develop at an early age, and the earlier a child starts to read, the faster they’ll be able to increase their reading speed, their vocabulary, and their conversational skills. While much of the reading instruction children get comes from their school classes, it’s also important that parents promote reading and help children learn to enjoy reading so that they’re motivated to get better at it. Unfortunately, many parents don’t have enough time as they’d like to devote to reading instruction, so it’s up to the schools to teach reading skills. However, not all teachers are equally as skilled in this task, and many of them aren’t up to date on the latest in reading theory and practice.

That’s the reason the Haskins Literary Initiative was created: to make sure that teachers have the skills they need as instructors to get the best results from and for their students. Since reading instruction starts by grade one (or earlier), and since – as we’ve discussed before – most people retain the reading style they learn in those early grades, to make sure that children get effective training as readers, it’s important that teachers know the best way to teach reading skills. When children are fluent and able readers, they’re in the best possible position to improve their reading abilities by applying speed reading techniques, something that will help them to get the most out of the material they read, get through school texts more quickly, and be more efficient at their jobs in the future.

But in the end (or is it the beginning?) it all starts with a solid knowledge of how to read, and that’s why the Haskins Literary Initiative is so important. Teachers who have participated in the program affirm that they feel more confident and energetic as instructors, and participating schools have seen significant increases in the students’ abilities to identify words, pronounce them correctly, and understand what they’ve read.

Is your school one of the participants in the Haskins Literary Initiative? Tell us about it!