Editor's note: With low reading proficiency scores across the state, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin is exploring the causes and consequences of low literacy. This article is part of the By the Book ...

To the editor: English is a phonetic language, so as soon as children learn letters and sounds, they can start to write simple messages. Most people go on to write well enough for practical purposes, ...

So you can read. But how? People learn to talk simply through listening — to our parents talking to us and to each other, to the TV talking to the ether, to strangers on the street. But that’s not how ...