The Teaching of Reading [antikvár]

Since the publication of the fifth edition of The Teaching of Reading, na-tionLil and world events have continued to reinforce the fact, sometimes with menacing certitude, that we are living in a pluralistic society. That we must deal with pluralism both on a nationwide scope and in global perspective, even in peacetime, so as to make pluralism an asset, not a threat, has been made unequivocally clear. Because achievement of this goal is by no means exclusively a political matter but to a pronounced extent also an education problem, schools need to be cognizant of it and make a constructive contribution toward its solution. Teachers of reading are in a pivotal position to render service in this respect. It is for this reason that the first chapter of the book is rightly entitled "The Teaching of Reading in a Pluralistic Society." Another matter of deep nationwide concern, with which this edition deals, is that of providing equal educational opportunity for all. While the professed objective of education has long been equcdity of opportunity, it has been forcibly brought to the foreground of teachers' thinking by the enactment during the mid-seventies of important federal laws. Probably of greatest impact on schools, of these legislative acts, has been the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142), passed in 1975. Impetus for serious attention to it has been the provision that federal funds are to be withheld from schools not complying virith the regulations. Because of the importance that teachers—reading teachers included—know what the legal provisions are and how to implement them, we are including in this edition a chapter entitled "Organizational Patterns, Including 'Mainstreaming,' for Accommodating the Uniqueness of the Learner." Additional significant changes that have been made in this edition include, among others, the emphasis in Chapter 2, "Language Development and Reading," on the development of language in worldwide perspective and on language diversity in the United States. Chapter 14, "Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Success in Reading," of the fifth edition no longer appears as a chapter, but pertinent points on that topic are now