Timothy Shanahan, a professor emeritus on the College of Illinois at Chicago, has spent his profession evaluating training analysis and serving to lecturers work out what works greatest within the classroom. A frontrunner of the Nationwide Studying Panel, whose 2000 report helped form what’s now referred to as the “science of studying,” Shanahan has lengthy influenced literacy instruction in america. He additionally served on the Nationwide Institute for Literacy’s advisory board in each the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Shanahan is a scholar whom I often seek the advice of once I come throughout a studying research, and so I used to be wanting to interview him about his new e-book, “Leveled Studying, Leveled Lives.” (Harvard Schooling Press, September 2025). In it, Shanahan takes goal at probably the most widespread educating practices in American school rooms: matching college students with “just-right” books.
He argues that the strategy — the place college students learn completely different texts relying on their assessed studying stage — is holding many youngsters again. Lecturers spend an excessive amount of time testing college students and assigning leveled books, he says, as a substitute of serving to all college students learn to perceive difficult texts.
“American youngsters are being prevented from doing higher in studying by a longstanding dedication to a pedagogical principle that insists college students are greatest taught with books they’ll already learn,” Shanahan writes in his e-book. “Studying is so typically taught in small teams — not so lecturers can information efforts to barter troublesome books, however to make sure the books are straightforward sufficient that not a lot steerage is required.”
Comprehension, he says, doesn’t develop that means.
The difficulty with leveled studying
Grouping college students by potential and assigning simpler or tougher books — a apply referred to as leveled studying — stays deeply embedded in U.S. colleges. A 2018 Thomas B. Fordham Institute survey discovered that 62 p.c of higher elementary lecturers and greater than half of center faculty lecturers educate at college students’ studying stage fairly than at grade stage.
Which will sound wise, however Shanahan says it’s not serving to anybody and is even main lecturers to dispense with studying altogether. “In social research and science, and today, even in English lessons,” he stated in an interview, “lecturers both don’t assign any readings or they learn the texts to the scholars.” Struggling readers aren’t being given the prospect — or the instruments — to deal with complicated materials on their very own.
As an alternative, Shanahan believes all college students ought to learn grade-level texts collectively, with lecturers offering extra help for individuals who want it.
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“What I’m recommending is tutorial differentiation,” he stated in our interview. “Everybody could have the identical tutorial aim — we’re all going to study to learn the fourth-grade textual content. I’d educate a whole-class lesson after which let some youngsters transfer on to unbiased work whereas others get extra assist. Possibly those who didn’t get it, learn the textual content once more with my help. By the top, extra college students could have reached the educational aim — and tomorrow the entire class can tackle one other textual content.”
27 alternative ways
Shanahan’s strategy doesn’t imply throwing youngsters into the deep finish with out assist. His e-book outlines a toolbox of methods for tackling troublesome texts, reminiscent of trying up unfamiliar vocabulary, rereading complicated passages, or breaking down lengthy sentences. “You’ll be able to tip over into profitable studying 27 alternative ways,” he stated, and he hopes future researchers uncover many extra.
He’s skeptical of drilling college students on abilities like figuring out the principle thought or making inferences. “We’ve handled take a look at questions because the talent,” he stated. “That doesn’t work.”
There’s widespread frustration over the deterioration of American studying achievement, particularly amongst center schoolers. (Thirty-nine p.c of eighth graders can not attain the bottom of three achievement ranges, referred to as “primary,” on the Nationwide Evaluation of Instructional Progress.) However there may be little settlement amongst studying advocates on tips on how to repair the issue. Some argue that what youngsters primarily want is extra information to understand unfamiliar concepts in a brand new studying passage, however Shanahan argues that background information received’t be enough or as highly effective as express comprehension instruction. Different studying specialists agree. Nonie Lesaux, dean of the Harvard Graduate College of Schooling who focuses on literacy in her personal educational work, endorsed Shanahan’s argument in an October 2025 on-line dialogue of the brand new e-book.
Shanahan is most persuasive in declaring that there isn’t robust experimental proof to point out that studying achievement goes up extra when college students learn a textual content at their particular person stage. Against this, a 2024 evaluation discovered that the only colleges are those who maintain instruction at grade stage. Nonetheless, Shanahan acknowledges that extra analysis is required to pinpoint which comprehension methods work greatest for which college students and during which circumstances.
Misunderstanding Vygotsky
Lecturers typically cite the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal improvement” to justify giving college students books which are neither too straightforward nor too exhausting. However Shanahan says that’s a misunderstanding of Vygotsky’s work.
Vygotsky believed lecturers ought to information college students to study difficult issues they can’t but do on their very own, he stated.
He gives an analogy: a mom educating her youngster to tie their sneakers. At first, she demonstrates whereas narrating the steps aloud. Then the kid does one step, and he or she finishes the remainder. Over time, the mom regularly releases management and the kid ties a bow on his personal. “Leveled studying,” Shanahan stated, “is like saying, ‘Why don’t we simply get Velcro?’ That is about actual educating. ‘Girls and boys, you don’t know tips on how to experience this bike but, however I’m going to ensure you do by the point we’re carried out.’ ”
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Shanahan’s critique of studying instruction applies primarily from second grade onward, after youngsters learn to learn and are specializing in understanding what they learn. In kindergarten and first grade, when youngsters are nonetheless studying phonics and tips on how to decode the phrases on the web page, the analysis proof towards small group instruction with completely different stage texts isn’t as robust, he stated.
Studying to learn first – decoding – is necessary. Shanahan says there are uncommon exceptions to educating all youngsters at grade stage.
“If a fifth grader nonetheless can’t learn,” Shanahan stated, “I wouldn’t make that youngster learn a fifth-grade textual content.” That youngster would possibly want separate instruction from a studying specialist.
Superior readers, in the meantime, might be challenged in different methods, Shanahan suggests, by unbiased studying time, skipping forward to higher-grade studying lessons, or by exploring complicated concepts inside grade-level texts.
The function of AI — and fogeys
Synthetic intelligence is more and more getting used to rewrite texts for various problem ranges. Shanahan is skeptical of that strategy. Easier texts, whether or not written by people or generated by AI, don’t educate college students to enhance their studying potential, he argues.
Nonetheless, he’s intrigued by the thought of utilizing AI to assist college students “climb the steps” by immediately modifying a single textual content to a spread of studying ranges, say, to third-, fifth- and seventh-grade ranges, and having college students learn them in fast succession. Whether or not that reinforces comprehension continues to be unknown and must be studied.
AI could be most useful to lecturers, Shanahan suspects, to assist level to a sentence or a passage that tends to confuse college students or journey them up. The trainer can then tackle these widespread difficulties in school.
Shanahan worries about what occurs outdoors of college: Youngsters aren’t studying a lot in any respect.
He urges mother and father to let youngsters learn no matter they get pleasure from — regardless if it’s above or beneath their stage — however to set constant expectations. “Nagging is probably not efficient,” he stated. “However you might be particular: ‘After dinner Thursday, learn the primary chapter. If you’re carried out, we’ll discuss it, after which you possibly can play a pc recreation or go in your telephone.’ ”
Too typically, he says, mother and father again down when youngsters resist. “They’re the children. We’re the adults,” Shanahan stated. “We’re accountable. Let’s step up and do what’s proper for them.”
Contact workers author Jill Barshay at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Sign, or barshay@hechingerreport.org.
This story about studying ranges was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, unbiased information group centered on inequality and innovation in training. Join Proof Factors and different Hechinger newsletters.
