Reading is a skill that is fundamental to a successful, productive life. Without the ability to read, everything from career opportunities to the simplest of life's pleasures is missed. It is vital , then, that all young children learn to read .
Most people accept that fact.
But the problem lies in how to achieve that goal. And while statesmen and others argue implementation in the political arena, today's educator is in the trenches - with a classroom of two dozen or so of the country's potentially brightest and best citizens who must be taught to read. Five years ago, the Waller Independent School District implemented Reading Renaissance , an intense reading program developed by the The Institute of Academic Excellence in Madison, Wisconsin. The chief appeal of the program is in the simplicity of its logic, namely, that learning to read is basically a matter of practice . And the program provides plenty of that.