How can a better understanding of reading crises and literacy debates across time and international boundaries improve the teaching of reading in the future?
The authors of this book build a convincing case that the 'problem' of how to teach reading needs to be re-conceptualized as part of a deeply social phenomenon.
This widely researched comparative study addresses the critical issue of literacy crises around the world and questions their wider sociological and educational impact. The recurring literacy crises in England and English speaking countries such as the US and New Zealand are linked to wider issues of educational standards, concepts of teacher professionalism, debates over curriculum content and the whole purpose of schooling, in order for us to obtain a deeper understanding of specific national contexts and the political pressures involved.

1. Introduction 2. Re-emerging debates over methods and standards: 1945-1965 3. Reading debates and the Bullock Report: 1968-1975 4. Post-Bullock reactions to a literacy crisis: 1975-1983 5. The renewed reading standards debate of the early 1990s 6. The Advent of National Literacy Strategies 7. Reading Recovery: A comparative Case Study. Conclusion