Flesch, Rudolf (1911–1986)

Rudolph Flesch was an author, readability expert, and writing consultant who gained prominence in the United States by advocating for instruction of phonics education. In his most famous book, Why Johnny Can't Read, he argued for basic phonetic reading instruction for all children. Flesch's writing strategies changed how the world looked at writing. His clear, direct style of writing encouraged others to write simply and plainly.

Flesch was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1911. After completing his law degree, he emigrated to the United States to begin an academic program at Columbia University, where he earned his doctoral degree in English. Shortly after completing his degree, Flesch wrote his famous book, Why Johnny Can't Read, in which he suggests that all reading problems stem from a conspiracy within the United States to withhold phonics instruction from students. Flesch was disturbed by the look–say model of reading instruction that he witnessed in school settings. Flesch believed this methodology was fatally flawed due to its reliance on learners' need to memorize words by sight. Learners, according to Flesch, were thereby left without skills to decode unknown words.

In 1967, a book by Jeanne S. Chall titled Learning to Read: The Great Debate sparked a controversy between theorists who embraced the whole language methodology and those who advocated phonics instruction. This argument continued because Flesch believed that the whole-language model required students to memorize sight words. When young readers approached a new word, they lacked the skills necessary to decode it. Flesch advocated for phonics instruction, by which learners are taught decoding skills to sound out words. He was very disturbed by the thought of children's reading ability being thwarted by the memorization [Page 381]of words. Flesch believed that through decoding, children's reading vocabulary can reach a significantly higher level than their sight vocabulary.

Flesch thought that all children were hardwired to read by age 7. Frustrated by his inability to advance his phonetic instruction in schools, Flesch wrote a companion text to his groundbreaking book titled: Why Johnny Still Can't Read: A New Look at the Scandal of Our Schools (1981). Thirty years after his original book, the companion was a best seller as well. At the end of his life, Flesch believed he had lost the fight for phonetic instruction. Today, the argument is no longer whether children should receive direct instruction on decoding words, but rather how should it be taught.

In addition to his experience with children's phonetic understanding, Flesch went on to explore writing skills of readers and the readability of texts. Flesch's career as a consultant, teacher, and author thrived. He wrote books on effective communication, including: How to Test Readability, How to Write Better, The Art of Plain Talk, The Art of Readable Writing, and The ABC of Style: Guide to Plain English.

Flesch also wrote books for the business world, including Rudolph Flesch on Business Communi cations: How to Say What You Mean in Plain English, The Art of Clear Thinking, Lite English, and How to Write Plain English for Lawyers and Consumers.

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