I found this podcast from this 
post:
I subbed today for a 7th and 8th grade teacher. I’m not exaggerating when I say at least 50% of the students were at a 2nd grade reading level. The students were to spend the class time filling out an “all about me” worksheet, what’s your name, favorite color, favorite food etc. I was asked 20 times today “what is this word?”. Movie. Excited. Trait. “How do I spell race car driver?”
I've only listened to one episode so far, but it's really well produced, seems well-researched and very well put together.
From what I gather so far, the ways that the American public school system "teaches" kids how to read is not only completely wrong, but actually saddles them bad habits which fundamentally hinder their reading comprehension.
A huge swath of American adults are functionally illiterate, and I think I'm starting to understand why.
i can't really believe what i'm reading. i'm a teacher in the global south. i don't even teach formative years, but this feels like the Three Dimensional Chess fantasy applied to pedagogy.
yeah, it's less teaching kids how to read and more purposefully sabotaging their ability to read, based on a fantasy of teaching them to love reading. it's cult woo shit.
why would you teach guesswork as though language is something inherent to the soul and oh fuck thats it isn't it
yep, it's literally based on the idea that if you put enough books in front of kids, they'll teach themselves how to read.
if there is one thing that is universal about teachers is that we aren't well paid. at least in some places we are actually respected and such, but still not well paid. the one thing that keeps teachers going is that its a social profession with lots of meaning behind it. what sort of teacher looks at reading and thinks its not glamorous enough to teach it step by step as a learned skill.
teachers being sold a system that comes with preplanned material, school supplies, and lots and lots of books, that promises to teach kids to love reading. it's idealism with kickbacks.