Why Johnny Can't Read

{{Short description|1955 nonfiction book by Rudolf Flesch}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2019}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox book

| name = Why Johnny Can't Read

| author = Rudolf Flesch

| image =

| caption =

| subject = Literacy, American education

| pub_date = 1955

| publisher = Harper and Brothers

| pages = 222

| isbn =

}}

Why Johnny Can't Read—And What You Can Do About It is a 1955 book-length exposé of American reading education by Rudolf Flesch. It was an immediate bestseller for 37 weeks and became an educational cause célèbre.{{sfn|Hall|1956|pp=310–311}} In the book, the author concluded that the "(look-say)" method (memorization of whole words by sight) was ineffective because it lacked proper phonics training. Additionally, Flesch was critical of the simple stories and limited text and vocabulary of the Dick and Jane style readers that taught students to read by memorization of words.{{cite web | url=https://chalcedon.edu/magazine/the-victims-of-dick-and-jane | title=The Victims of Dick and Jane | date=September 2002 }} Flesch also believed that the look-say method did not properly prepare students to read more complex materials in later grade levels.{{cite web | url=https://rarebookschool.org/2005/exhibitions/dickandjane.shtml | title=Reading with and Without Dick and Jane: The Politics of Literacy in c20 America }}{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2018/05/19/why-johnny-still-cant-read-and-what-to-do-about-it/#5180f5fe2e22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522031347/https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2018/05/19/why-johnny-still-cant-read-and-what-to-do-about-it/#5180f5fe2e22 | archive-date=May 22, 2018 | title=Why Johnny Still Can't Read -- and What to do About It | website=Forbes }}