They were taught that in order to become a fluent reader it was necessary to master the alphabetic "code." Once a child learned the mechanics of the code, the attention could be turned to more advanced content. .
Illiteracy is not caused by a lack of intelligence. Numerous reasons have been cited for the rising illiteracy rate in the United States, including both social and cultural factors. Overcrowded classrooms, television, drugs, the breakdown of the American family, and the growing ethnic diversity of the student population are all examples of reasons for illiteracy. Illiteracy is also found in those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, CAPD, and short memory differences. Illiteracy is simply "not having mastered certain skills that are the basis of written language.".
Teaching children to read is the most important objective teachers have to accomplish in the school. Reading is a prerequisite for everything else, not only in school but in life itself. The American education system has been criticized from a variety of viewpoints. Some experts have blamed the switch from phonics to the word recognition teaching method as reason for illiteracy. Others blame neglectful teaching of basic grammar, sentence structure, spelling skills, and the "dumbing down" of textbooks since World War II. Reading failure usually shows up after the fourth grade, when the volume of works needed for reading more difficult material, in science, literature, history, or math cannot be memorized quickly enough. It is because of this reason that textbooks in the middle and upper grades are "dumbed" down to a fourth or fifth grade reading level. The average 12th-grade literature textbook has been found to be simpler than those used by prewar 7th and 8th graders. .
Although schools are responsible for formal reading instruction, families play a crucial role in a child's attainment of literacy skills.