America has fallen into a multi-generational crisis of illiteracy. Bob Woodson and Ian Rowe write:
Our biggest problem today isn't the achievement gap between Black and white students; it's the distance between current illiteracy rates among all students and true academic excellence.
Closing this achievement gap will take a cultural sea change in the way America approaches schooling. Yes, debate critical race theory, but let's keep our eyes on the prize. We should spend far more time in the pursuit of excellence—implementing reading instruction that would improve literacy outcomes for kids of all races. That would erase the stain of racism far more than endlessly debating critical race theory.
[Bob Woodson and Ian Rowe, "Critical Race Theory Distracts from Widespread Academic Underachievement,” Newsweek, September 17]
