America Is Sliding Toward Illiteracy

Shifting Media vs. Foundational Literacy

• Several commenters argue the decline reflects changing media: faster, visual communication, ubiquitous tools, and specialization, not “lazy kids.”
• Others counter that new tools and formats don’t replace foundational skills; you still need deep reading ability to use tools wisely.
• Some say standardized tests are outdated for a multimedia world; others insist they still capture the ability to learn and think.

Teaching Methods, Phonics, and “Low Expectations”

• Big debate over reading pedagogy: “whole word” / balanced literacy vs phonics. Many blame whole-language approaches for a generation that can’t decode words; others note these methods are now being rolled back.
• Mississippi and Louisiana are repeatedly cited as examples where phonics, early screening, literacy coaches, and mandatory third‑grade reading standards improved outcomes (“Mississippi miracle”).
• Strong disagreement about holding students back: some see it as essential; others say it increases dropout risk or is just gaming metrics.
• “Equitable grading” (no late penalties, unlimited retakes) is criticized as removing consequences and lowering expectations.

Inequality and Stratification

• Consensus that declines are concentrated among poorer and lower‑performing students; top decile scores are largely flat.
• Affluent families (esp. in blue-state suburbs) report kids reading early, pushed hard by competition for elite universities.
• Many predict a bifurcated society: an educated elite and an underclass with weak literacy.

Screens, Home Environment, and Culture of Reading

• Some see smartphones and tablets as primary culprits, destroying focus and displacing books; others argue effects are overstated or confounded with parenting and poverty.
• Multiple anecdotes: parents on phones instead of reading to kids; children with minimal attention span for even short books.
• Others stress that book-rich homes and parents who model reading correlate strongly with better outcomes, independent of school policy.

Politics, Unions, and Blame

• Commenters split on whether conservatives (attacking universities, critical thinking, public schools) or liberal institutions (teacher unions, curriculum fads, “equity” grading) bear more responsibility.
• Teacher unions are accused by some of resisting phonics and standards; others note union support for literacy reforms in places like Mississippi and warn against caricatures.

Data, Definitions, and Pessimism vs. Optimism

• Some challenge the article’s framing: NAEP reading scores in 2024 are statistically similar to 1992 once demographics and accommodations are considered, with the big drop post‑COVID.
• Others emphasize chronic absenteeism, policy drift after NCLB, and weak state accountability.
• Cultural references (Stephenson, Tevis, Sagan) frame fears of a slide into a visually rich but text‑poor, manipulable society. A minority sees hopeful signs in phonics revivals and targeted interventions.