Relative Importance of “Mastery of Reading Skills” as a Goal of Public Education *

Abstract

No one can question the importance of reading as the basis for educational growth. There is, however, some question as to its relative importance to all public groupings with respect to other educational goals. This paper presents the findings of a major goals validation and needs assessment for Maryland, for the goal “Mastery of reading skills.” The data reveal that this goal is consistently rated as the most important or second most important of all educational goals. Furthermore, this consistency not only holds true for all public groups at the state level, but within each local school system, whether urban, suburban or rural. Some questions as to accountability of progress in reading and to its level of attainment are raised.