Mission Possible provides an in-depth description of Almeda Lahr-Well’s patented and copyrighted “synergistic academics” curriculum, but it also weaves throughout an overview of the 400-year history of education in the United States. The author demonstrates how America‘s current dire educational predicament came about, which began with the public schools and eventually spilled over into many private and parochial schools as well.

While Lahr-Well shows what happened to K-12 education in the U.S., she also provides a blueprint for reclaiming what she calls “American educational exceptionalism.” Her book describes in detail the Lahr-Well Curriculum Concept of Synergistic Academics as it is implemented at Lahr-Well Academy in Edwardsville, Illinois, with its 35 years of proven, nationally standardized test results success for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The author addresses first and foremost the critical topic of phonics instruction, beginning with a bit of history in colonial times, when phonics-based reading instruction was “simple and effective. The Bible and some patriotic writings [were] among the first textbooks,” she writes, “until The New England Primer, published in the late 1680s. These resources not only built a foundation of intellect, but of traditional values as well.”

This reviewer found particularly interesting Lahr-Well’s explanation of why phonics is so critical for teaching reading in the English language. She explains that European children learned to read the Romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish), all of which originated in Latin “where there is almost a one-to-one sound-to-letter correspondence. This means that students could write/spell basically what they heard,” which doesn’t work in English.

As an example, she uses the single spelling of “ough,” which produces at least six phonemes (smallest units of sound), including the “o” in go (though); the “oo” in too (through); the off in offer (cough); the “uff” in suffer (rough); the “ow” in flower (plough); and, the “aw” sound — a lower case “o” with a dot on top in Latin — as in the word “ought.”

“With English spelling there is much more complexity,” she writes ... “partly because it attempts to capture the 40+ phonemes of the spoken language with an alphabet composed of only 26 letters.”

She continues: “In fact, trying to teach reading without teaching phonics would be like trying to teach spelling without teaching the alphabet.... Phonics proved to be an extremely effective method of teaching reading in the U.S. from Colonial times until the late 1800s when government teamed up with educators to do ‘major surgery’ on what could have been ‘minor adjustments’ ... which eventually destroyed the solid phonetic reading foundation.”

The Lahr-Well Curriculum Concept provides seven years of phonics instruction from kindergarten through 6th grade, with reading comprehension through 12th grade. A whole language book series is also used, and, as the author explains, “is actually based on a phonics approach that introduces reading through vowels and vowel combinations....”

Lahr-Well describes how the academic decline in reading, math, and English skills increased as the government began gaining control of the U.S. education system. She reviews each educational fad and misguided government program, after which she adds the refrain: “And generations of U.S. students are lost!”

She quotes a number of works that illustrate, expand on, or reinforce her main points, one of which is Thomas Sowell’s 1993 book Inside American Education: The Decline, The Deception, The Dogmas. Sowell’s important book is an accurate, hard-hitting, and well-documented critique of U.S. education at the time it was written. Since then, as Lahr-Well shows, the situation has only gotten worse. In a discussion of the disastrous Common Core standards, she references James DeLisle’s Dumbing Down America: The War on Our Nation’s Brightest Young Minds, published in 2014, which focuses on the shortchanging of gifted students by the education system.

Lahr-Well explains how her curriculum personalizes learning for all students; i.e., a tailored curriculum, “which engages each and every student in his/her own interests, in addition to emphasizing student responsibility for his/her own success.”

Included in her historical narrative is the 1983 report A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, famously released during President Ronald Reagan’s first term. She breaks down the report in an easy-to-follow chart, contrasting each area of concern (risk) with the solution her curriculum would provide if widely used. For example, she responds to the complaint of business leaders that they must spend millions of dollars in remedial education and training programs for ill-equipped new hires by pointing out the following: “Students graduating from Lahr-Well Academy have no need for remedial work in reading, writing, spelling, or computation. By the time students graduate, at 16, 17, or 18, they are testing far beyond grade level.”

Lahr-Well correctly assesses that we are “still a nation at risk,” noting that “decades of statistics have continued to uncover how much further and further behind we find ourselves in global educational achievement.” She believes her curriculum would address this slide, providing a comprehensive, well-rounded education that is also individualized for each student.

Specifically, the Lahr-Well Curriculum Concept of Synergistic Academics offers world history woven with American history, mathematics, language arts, the basics in five foreign languages, research skills, the natural and earth sciences, physics, music and art appreciation, including hands-on art, technology, engineering, robotics, and more. Lahr-Well academy students also enjoy field trips, and are encouraged to participate in extracurricular sports and community events.

It is appropriate to reiterate here that the Lahr-Well Concept is a patented curriculum, and that it can be licensed through the author. Students and teachers could benefit from 35 years of fine tuning by Lahr-Well and her faculty, which has resulted in peerless achievement. She invites everyone who would like to see a revival of American exceptionalism through the provision of a solid academic curriculum to visit Lahr-Well Academy and discover first-hand how the program works.

This reviewer encourages readers to avail themselves of Lahr-Well’s informative book. As the author herself points out: “When students are not taught what they need to know ... about their Constitution, Amendments, their civil rights, and basic academics ... they remain ignorant. Their ignorance leaves them vulnerable to indoctrination. Their indoctrination leaves them vulnerable to losing their country, their freedom, and their liberties!” Discerning observers might agree this is happening today in America.

To read the entire book, go to Amazon or Xlibris.com to order!

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