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  • Week 9: The Average 4th Grader Scores 215 Out of 500 Points

    Week 9: The Average 4th Grader Scores 215 Out of 500 Points

    Understanding the Average Score Crisis in American Elementary Education By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss This is Week 9 of my 64-week literacy crisis campaign. Every Friday, I…

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  • Week 8: Only 35% of 12th Graders Ready for Entry-Level College Reading Coursework

    Week 8: Only 35% of 12th Graders Ready for Entry-Level College Reading Coursework

    The College Readiness Crisis Reaches a Critical Point By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Published December 26, 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” – Kofi Annan ___________________________________________________________________ This is Week 8 of my 64-week literacy crisis campaign. Every Friday, I share one statistic about America’s reading emergency, paired…

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  • Language Learning Journey

    1,000+ Russian & Polish Words for Slavic Folklore Mastery ________________________________________________________________ Words 11-20 of 1,000 | Week 2 ________________________________________________________________ Learning Russian & Polish: My Second Ten Words December 24, 2025 – Journey to Folklore Mastery ________________________________________________________________ Figure 1 – Russia and Poland Flags Caption: Russian and Polish flags representing the two Slavic languages in my learning…

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  • What Happens When There Aren’t Enough Teachers Left?

    What Happens When There Aren’t Enough Teachers Left?

    By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Figure 1 – Teacher Crisis – Too Many Empty Teacher’s Desks “The pandemic has revealed that the only reason the education system isn’t crumbling down is that teachers and school staff are holding it together. We had the same impossible expectations as previous years, but then…

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  • Week 7: Only 30% of 8th Graders Score At or Above Proficient

    Week 7: Only 30% of 8th Graders Score At or Above Proficient

    The Middle School Proficiency Decline Continues By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Published December 20, 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain ___________________________________________________________________ This is Week 7 of my 64-week literacy crisis campaign. Every Friday, I share one statistic…

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  • When the “Experts” Are Wrong Even When They’re Right: A Story for Every Author

    By J.W. Zarek Figure 1 – Runner at Dawn. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs There’s been discussion in author forums about only listening to six-figure authors and dismissing advice from anyone who hasn’t reached that income level. I’ve noticed something concerning: well-meaning people who…

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  • THE WEIGHT OF INHERITANCE: Why I Write about Slavic Folklore and Mythology

    THE WEIGHT OF INHERITANCE: Why I Write about Slavic Folklore and Mythology

    By J.W. Zarek Image 1 – Grandmother and child at bedtime with storybook “You live as long as you are remembered.” – Russian Proverb When my grandmother Yetta shared bedtime stories of Baba Yaga and the domovoi from our ancestral Slavic traditions, she wasn’t just entertaining a child. She was sharing cultural memory, passing down…

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  • Language Learning Journey

    Language Learning Journey

    1,000+ Russian & Polish Words for Slavic Folklore Mastery ___________________________________________________________________ Words 1-10 of 1,000 | Week 1 ___________________________________________________________________ Learning Russian & Polish: My First Ten Words December 15, 2025 – Journey to Folklore Mastery ___________________________________________________________________ Caption: Russian and Polish flags representing the two Slavic languages in my learning journey. ___________________________________________________________________ “If you talk to a…

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  • Untitled post 6955

    The Literacy Crisis Campaign: Understanding America’s Reading Emergency Through Data A 64-Week Journey Through the Numbers That Matter By J. W. Zarek, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglas Every Friday since November 15, 2025, I’ve been sharing a single statistic about America’s literacy…

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