After decades of stagnating reading performance, American literacy levels have begun to drop, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a program of the Department of Education.

Seeing a child curled up with a book as they independently learn to read the words and find the meaning in a story is a heartwarming image. We have been taught that learning to read is akin to ...

Learning to read is a complex process. It requires children to master and integrate multiple skills, from mapping abstract symbols to the right speech sounds to understanding what all the words mean.