DEIJ, SRA, and Me

Lyle Spencer and a Box of SRA Reading Cards

I just finished applying for a Spencer Foundation Grant.  Whew!

I didn't know much about the Spencer Foundation, so I read up on it, its history, and, it's benefactor, Lyle Spencer.

Lyle Spencer (1911-1968) graduated from the University of Washington, earning an undergraduate and master's degree in Sociology (His father was the President of UW, from 1927-1933). In 1938, while a graduate student at the University of Chicago, he founded Science Research Associates (SRA), a Chicago-based publisher of education materials and school room reading comprehension products. In 1962, he founded the Spencer Foundation (largely funded by SRA) to support education research.  In 1962 Spencer sold SRA to IBM. He continued as CEO of SRA until 1968, but he directed much of his efforts and fortune to the Spencer Foundation until his death in 1968. 

The Spencer Foundation continues to thrive today. The foundation’s mission is basically to support education research through diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) — seemingly the scourge of MAGA and platform of progressives.

If you went to elementary school when I did, you may recall learning to read and write using SRA (the product of Science Research Associates). If you don’t, SRA was a big box of cards where each card had a short story and questions at the end to test what you read. The stories were arrange in color coded sections that progressively got more advanced as you passed through the sections.

It was all self paced. Every individual started at the level that was appropriate for them, you progressed as fast as you wanted, and it was accessible to everyone. If you squint a little, it was a reading and writing education program that was based on DEI — though it wasn’t called that.

For me, it was an effective way to learn to read and write. I often wondered why I was judged a slow reader but excellent at math in the second grade. I didn’t get placed in the “advanced” reading track. I sometimes wondered if there was a racial/ethnic stereotype in play. Regardless, it was SRA that allowed me to start at an appropriate level ("color"), work hard at my own pace, and “scratch and claw” my way into the top reading group by making appropriate progress on the SRA system. I thank my 4th grade teacher, Kay Brebner for recognizing my progress and promoting me. 

SRA was instrumental in teaching me to learn to read and write. If I get the Spencer (or even if I don’t), it is not a coincidence I owe much to SRA and Lyle Spencer. My personal experience is a testament to SRA (Scientific Research Associates) and Mr. Spencer. Further, if you criticize or applaud DEIJ,  my experience with SRA — a self paced, available to everyone, and accessible at any entry point reading system — is an example of DEIJ in practice.

Thank you Mr. Spencer. (Fingers crossed that I get my grant!)

Finally, I give another hat tip to the University of Washington, where I hail as an alumni!