Alaskan teachers give reading course plan a chilly reception

A proposal to require all Alaska teachers to take a special course in how to teach reading has triggered an outpouring of protests from teachers, principals and others. The proposal is aimed at addressing a chronic problem: Too many children have poor reading skills that hamper them in all their classwork, from language arts to science, math and social studies. But teachers and others call the plan an unfunded mandate that is a waste of most teachers’ time. “That every teacher take this one reading course is unrealistic,” Anchorage teacher union president Ron Fuhrer said. “It doesn’t address specific school goals ... it does not address the needs of each individual teacher.” Read more about the controversy in The Anchorage Daily News.