Too Many Kids Can't Read. Blame a Lack of Spelling Tests.

Abby McCloskey, Bloomberg, November 14, 2025

“This week, I went to school for parent-teacher conferences. My second-grader’s self-evaluation form listed several categories: “I follow directions,” “I understand math,” “I like to read,” and one we hadn’t been asked about before: spelling. In fact, over the summer, he had literally asked me: “What is spelling?”

Most parents educated in the 1980s remember a fair amount of explicit instruction on spelling. Today, you cannot assume that spelling is being taught to your children. Many schools have shifted their focus elsewhere.”