The perceived crisis in reading achievement may be misplaced--the real crisis may be what is ignored in the curriculum. People are alarmed at the lack of emphasis being placed on teaching content knowledge in many of today's classrooms. They laugh when Jay Leno takes to the street, interviewing teenagers and young adults who do not have the slightest idea about world events, leaders, or places. Some of them do not even know who Winston Churchill was, or when the United States gained its independence. Teachers must wonder what these former students have learned in the classroom. Students' lack of content knowledge (prior knowledge pertaining to the topics of the text) is becoming apparent, as measured by such reading comprehension assessments as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The authors believe the lack of improvement in reading comprehension scores is the result of prevailing behavioristic practices in many classrooms. They contend that content knowledge foundation is essential if students are to comprehend the texts they read in future grades.