Why Can't U Teach Me 2 Read: Three Students and a Mayor Put Our Schools to the Test Book

I discovered Beth Fertig's "Why cant U teach me 2 read?: Three Students and a Mayer Put Our Schools to the Test" on the new non-fiction release shelf at my local library and was instantly intrigued at the subject of this book. I was also appalled by the idea of going through a public school education and coming out of it not being able to read. I know that this happens (probably a lot more than I'm able or willing to realize), but it is just so difficult for me to wrap my mind around. I grew up in a small town in upstate New York. Class sizes were small. Parents were involved. Teachers did their jobs. No one was really left behind, at least not to my knowledge (no pun intended on Bush's No Child Left Behind or NCLB policy). Also, I'm not a teacher, nor do I work with children or even have any of my own. I'm just interested in the subject of literacy. I figured it would be quite a learning experience.

And it was. Fertig chronicles the struggles of three NYC young adults: siblings Yamilka and Alejandro, and Antonio, as they struggled to achieve normal, functioning adult lives unable to read. All three are Dominican born, English as a second language learners and the author assures us that this is purely coincidental. Yamilka gets lost on her way home one night because she cannot read subway signs or bus schedules and she was too shy to ask for help. Alejandro's dyslexia went undetected until he started proceedings to sue the city because he couldn't read. At the beginning of the book, Antonio wanted to join the army, but knew he would never get in without his GED.

That's right! Students can challenge NYC and win compensatory educational services (private tutoring sessions) at the city's expense. Hundreds of thousands of city dollars were spent to teach these three young adults how to read because their formative educations failed to do so. All of the funds for the 1,600 plus schools and 1.1 million students comes from the city's general fund; not taxes on property like upstate New York. Hmmm.... interesting!

She pairs their heartbreaking stories against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's complete overall of the NYC public school system with more focus on school accountability via test scores and allowing the principals of each school to have more control over their curriculums so they can best meet the needs of their students.

I had no idea how many tests and evaluations there were to determine the myriad of learning and cognitive disabilities that can impair a child's ability to learn to read fluently (which is a combination of speed and accuracy with the correct inflections).

I also gained a greater understanding of the reality of the NYC public school systems and the challenges teachers and administrators face, along with their long hours and high pay - start salary for teachers in NYC is $43,000 with more experienced teachers making approximately $100,000 a year!

As informative as Fertig's book was, I think she tried to take on way too much. The students she followed were already out of the public school system by the time Mayor Bloomberg began his educational overhaul, which she admits toward the end of the book. The only thing both things have in common is that they "put our schools to the test" but it was done in a way that made it virtually impossible for me to find the true connections (if there are any) between the two stories. I think this would have been better off as two books or two separate parts in the same book, instead of the chapters going back and forth between one of the students and Mayor Bloomberg's plan.

This aside, it was an interesting book and well worth the time it took me to read it. I was just expecting to see how three students AND a mayor put our schools to the test - as in that they did it together.