As superintendent of several school districts and a professor at several universities, I have always stressed the importance of a solid foundation for all students in phonics and phonemic awareness. Education has gone through many fads and trends in teaching reading. However, more than 100 years of scientific reading research have conclusively proven that learning to read proficiently requires learning the 26 letters of the alphabet, the 44 sounds those letters represent and the 70 common ways to spell them.
As the former Director of Exceptional Children for more than 20 years I know how important it was for all students to become excellent readers. Struggling readers who are having significant difficulty in with reading, writing, spelling and comprehension improve greatly when exposed to a systematic phonics and decoding program. I know for a fact that two of the most important assets a student can possess are the ability to be an excellent reader and to possess a positive self concept.
As lead programmer and multi-media producer for more than 15 years, I have helped produce state of the art products for our company. We began producing CD-Rom Reading Programs. As the technology improved, we updated our CD content to flash and then to the web. The latest versions of our educational solutions use HTML 5 which allow students to learn on any computer platform or mobile device. Our literacy reading programs use the latest technological innovations to educate and teach literacy skills in a natural and enjoyable manner.