What Parents Misunderstand About Academic Success:
The Hidden Gems of Reading
The simple but profound cliché, "Readers are leaders," remains as true and relevant today in an AI-driven world as it did centuries ago, when reading was a luxury afforded only to the elite, the privileged, and a select few.
As a parent and educator, I am determined to restore a love of reading in everyone I encounter, especially my brilliant scholars and their families, who have taught me as much as I have taught them over the past 36 years.
I coined the phrase, "Whoever your God is, they love reading; hence the reason there are Bibles, Korans, Torahs, and countless other sacred texts." As an educator, I have often shared that if God loves reading, so should my scholars—and they should be able to do it well through strong decoding, comprehension, and application skills.
Parents are the first and most important teachers in their scholars' academic journeys. There are three truths I share with parents in this three-part series, confident that they will read, apply, and benefit from them as they cultivate successful scholars and genuine, knowledgeable reader-leaders.
Reading comprehension cannot be developed like muscle strength simply by practicing strategies. Reading is the combination of decoding, comprehension, and application.
Firstly, The Knowledge Secret
Children are not blank slates upon which we can write anything. Our scholars are born with unique qualities and abilities that extend beyond our wildest imagination.
The knowledge secret is this: research shows that background knowledge is one of the primary drivers of comprehension. A child who knows a great deal about space or marine biology will often comprehend a complex text on those topics better than a "skilled" reader who can decode well but lacks the necessary background knowledge.
The scholar who comprehends well is ultimately the scholar who can apply knowledge effectively.
Secondly, The "Matthew Effect"
The term "Matthew Effect," coined by Keith Stanovich in his 1986 research, describes the "rich get richer, poor get poorer" cycle in literacy development.
Vocabulary is much more than a list of word meanings. Research shows that some first graders know twice as many words as their peers. By 12th grade, they may know four times as many words as lower-performing students. In other words, the academically "rich" often get richer, while the academically "poor" fall further behind.
Fortunately, all is not lost.
The solution is straightforward: parents should model what they expect. Read with your scholars and read to your scholars. Expose them to rich vocabulary. Use technology to build your family's vocabulary through daily reading, writing, and conversation. Sharpen your own literacy skills and make your family academically rich.
This is not simply about intelligence—it is about exposure to text. A student who reads for just 20 minutes a day is exposed to nearly 2 million words per year, while a student who reads for less than one minute a day may encounter only 8,000 to 21,000 words annually.
Lastly, Writing Is the Secret Architecture of the Reading Brain
"If reading is life, writing is oxygen." — Michelle K. Agard
Writing is thinking on paper.
Research reveals that teaching a child to write improves reading comprehension and fluency. When students write about what they read, they are forced to organize, process, and internalize information in ways that reading alone cannot accomplish.
If you want your child to become a better reader, encourage them to write more. Ask them to summarize what they have learned, reflect on a story, or write personal reactions to books they read.
Parents, you are your scholars' first and most important teachers, and God loves reading. What better motivation could there be to begin cultivating the world's next generation of amazing, intelligent, and knowledgeable readers?
I am right there beside you, reading along and supporting your Magnificent Reading Adventure.
Dedicated to My Young Scholar
Recommended Reading for Parents
Background Knowledge and Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction (Joan Sedita, 2019)
This article explores why background knowledge—or "world knowledge"—is one of the primary engines of reading comprehension.
Effective Vocabulary Instruction (Joan Sedita, 2005)
This paper examines the Matthew Effect in literacy and explains how early vocabulary gaps can create an upward spiral for some students and a downward spiral for others.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading (Graham & Hebert, 2010)
This major research meta-analysis demonstrates that when students write about what they read, they improve their comprehension, fluency, and word recognition.
