ABSTRACT
There appears to be the belief around the world that learning to read is foundational to becoming a contributing, participating member of global society. Many view reading as the prerequisite that allows individuals’ participation in school, socialization into society, ability to learn, and academic and professional success. In reality millions of human beings lead healthy productive lives without ever learning to read; however those who do read appear to have better access to the world economy, to technology, and to the rapidly expanding knowledge base. Different jurisdictions proudly proclaim their institutional success in achieving high literacy levels in their populations (see, for instance, Kerala.gov.in/education/status.htm). Organizations such as the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (see https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/) measure reading achievement and use these data to compare or rank countries. Reading, often referred to as literacy, is widely considered to be important.
