Help your child learn to read
Since our founding in 2022, we've helped over 4,000 parents. Our lessons are meant to be short, fun, and practical. Sign up for one of our free programs below.
Hello
My name is Chad Aldeman. I live with my wife and two kids in Virginia.
Education is my passion. In my professional life, I research and write about education policy and served at the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama Administration.
My Story
I started Read Not Guess after watching my son struggle with his reading. Rather than trying to sound out words he didn't recognize, he would take his eyes off the page and *guess.*
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This drove me crazy! I know he would never be able to read well without looking at the words on the page. Worse, I knew this habit would not serve him well as he advanced to more challenging text.
My wife and I are working with our son to unlearn these bad habits and establish better ones. Unfortunately, we know he picked up these bad habits at school. The school's literacy curriculum taught kids to read using the "three-cueing" technique, which encourages children to guess based on pictures, the first letter in the word, or other context clues.
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After learning more about the science of reading and how reading is (and is not) taught in schools, I created Read Not Guess to help other parents spot these bad habits early and establish and maintain positive reading habits from the beginning.​
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Read Not Guess is the program I wish I had used when my children were learning to read.
Help your child learn to read, not guess
Read Not Guess is explicitly designed for parents. It provides parents the tools to build their child's reading skills, and to know when, and how, to step in if their child is struggling.
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Each email will feature a short lesson to practice sounding out letters, blending those sounds into words, and building words into sentences.
​No time? No problem. The lessons are meant for busy families and should take only 5-10 minutes to work through.
Sign up now, or see a sample lesson to see if Read Not Guess is right for you.
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Contact
Please reach out if you have questions about me or the Read Not Guess program.
I would also love to talk with schools, churches, parent groups, etc. about bulk subscriptions.