Analysis on STREAMSS for K-6 and 7-12, and the Case for “Reading” & "Research" as a Discipline

In recent years, educational frameworks such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), STEAM (adding the Arts), STEAMS (adding Social Studies), STREAM (adding Reading), and now STREAMSS (Science, Technology, Reading or Research, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies) have been proposed and used to varying degrees. Today we analyze STREAMSS in two versions- for Grades K-6, where “R” stands for Reading, and for Grades 7-12, where “R” stands for Research. We'll debate whether “R” should be considered a discipline, show how reading ability among education is declining, explain the nature of “Research” as an established discipline (especially discipline-based education research), and argue for the importance of explicitly including R in educational frameworks. We'll draw from STEAMS Initiative and other sources. For young children in kindergarten through sixth grade, foundational skills are perhaps the most critical of their educational journey. At this stage, Reading is central in multiple respects: decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, exposure to texts; reading skills enable access to information in all other disciplines. In a STREAMSS model for K-6, where R stands for Reading, you posit that Reading is not merely a supportive skill but a discipline in itself, something with its own methods, progression, assessment, and instructional theory.

The case for explicitly including Reading at the discipline level in K-6 is bolstered by statistical realities. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, often called the “Nation’s Report Card”), only about 33 percent of fourth-graders performed at or above the Proficient level in reading in 2022; that is a decline of two percentage points from 2019. Similarly, about 63 percent were at or above the Basic level, meaning over one third of students are below Basic. These numbers indicate that a large fraction of students are not gaining strong reading proficiency by fourth grade. Moreover, the average reading scores for grades 4 and 8 dropped compared to earlier assessments, and for grade 12, average reading in 2019 is lower than previous assessments (National Center For Education). The implications are substantial and students who are not reading well by third or fourth grade are much more likely to struggle with learning across discipline areas. Early literacy research has repeatedly shown that students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are far more likely to drop out of high school according to the Education Commission of the States.

In K-6, then, making Reading part of the framework explicitly addresses this gap. Without explicit attention, reading may be treated implicitly, or assumed to be part of Language Arts without being integrated meaningfully into interdisciplinary projects or assessments. In a model like STEAMS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies), social studies, arts, tech, etc., are given prominence, but reading skills can get lost unless “Reading” is clearly named and treated as a discipline. The STEAMS Initiative, whose mission is to integrate learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Social Studies through Project-Based Lesson Plans (PBLPs), describes their model as going beyond STEM and STEAM to include Social Studies as critical for cultural, civic, and ethical context. They say, “Education systems are constantly adapting to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. The traditional focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) has expanded to include the Arts, giving rise to STEAM education. However, the STEAMS Theory, makes a compelling case for adding another crucial element to this mix, which is Social Studies (and/or Social Justice),” (STEAMS Initiative). While STEAMS does not explicitly call out Reading as a separate discipline, the logic of its call for inclusion of Social Studies might equally support including Reading where deficits are large.

The benefits of treating Reading as a discipline in K-6 include that it demands focused instructional time, assessment tailored to reading sub-skills, teacher training, resources, and accountability. When Reading is explicit, schools are more likely to adopt evidence-based literacy instruction, address reading deficits early, monitor progress, and integrate reading into science, social studies, technology etc. For example, children reading below grade level will struggle with science texts even if the science instruction is excellent. If reading is explicitly counted, then reading comprehension and fluency become central to all content. Thus, in K-6, the version of STREAMSS with R = Reading has strong justification: reading ability is lagging, its absence as explicit discipline leads to persistent literacy gaps, and including it would push educators and systems to allocate attention to a discipline that underlies success in nearly all others.

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STREAMSS for Grades 7-12 & R = Research

In secondary grades, the capabilities of students expand and they are asked to think more critically, analyze, synthesize, create, and prepare for post-secondary education or workforce. In this context, “R = Research” becomes a potent discipline.

Research as a discipline is more than an assignment or skill; it is a field of systematic inquiry, with its own theories, methods, norms, and outputs. In academic tradition, multiple disciplines, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, all conduct research. More specifically, there is discipline-based education research (DBER), which examines how students learn within STEAMS fields and how to improve teaching and learning methods in those disciplines. DBER as we know it, is defined by its investigation of learning and teaching in a specific discipline, applying methods from education research and cognitive science, among others, while deeply informed by the content, practices, epistemologies, and worldview of that discipline. Educational research more broadly also encompasses studies of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, teacher training, classroom practice, student cognition, motivation, and inequalities in outcomes. It draws upon methods from psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, statistics, etc. This broader field is well recognized in universities and research institutions, with peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, university departments, and funding agencies. Overall, “Research” is already a recognized discipline (or set of disciplines) in higher education and in many K-12 contexts.

Our suggestion is the 7-12 STREAMSS model introduces R as Research. The discipline of Research becomes explicitly taught and students are instructed in how to formulate research questions, conduct literature reviews, gather and evaluate evidence, use qualitative and quantitative methods, analyze data, interpret findings, write reports, evaluate sources, and present results. Research becomes not just part of science or social studies, but a cross-cutting discipline that equips students to handle information, misinformation, complexity, uncertainty, and novel problem solving. Including Research explicitly in grades 7-12 draws attention to these capacities and ensures students are not just consumers of knowledge but producers of knowledge, even if on smaller scales. It grounds them in critical thinking, evaluation of sources, ethics, reproducibility, and the rigors of inquiry. It prepares students for college, for work environments where research, analysis, and innovation are expected, and for citizenship in a media-rich, information-heavy world.

Debating the “R”, is it Discipline or Not?

One may argue that Reading or Research are not “disciplines” in the way Science, Technology, Arts are. A discipline is often understood as having a defined body of knowledge, a set of methods, a community, theories, journals, assessments, etc. In some frameworks, Reading is considered part of Language Arts; Research is often seen as a skill rather than a separate discipline. To justify “R” as a discipline, one must show that it meets criteria by having unique methods, content, progression, assessment and belong to a community of practice.Reading arguably meets much of this because it involves phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, and literature. It has cognitive science underpinning, reading theory, assessments and teacher specialization. Research similarly includes scientific method, ethics, literature review, quantitative/qualitative methods, domain-specific research, published work, etc. Some critics might say that adding “R” makes the acronym too long, that reading or research are already implied, or that schools lack capacity (staff, time, resources) to treat “R” explicitly. Others might worry that emphasis on Research might overshadow content learning. There might be tension in curriculum design (e.g. if you schedule time for Research, what gets squeezed? Or if Reading is discipline, do you reduce time for other Language Arts?) These are valid concerns.

However, data in the U.S. shows reading abilities are declining or low enough to cause concern at all grade levels. The 2024 NAEP findings show that U.S. twelfth-graders had their lowest reading performance in over three decades, with over 30 percent lacking basic reading skills (Reuters). Similarly, high school students continue to lose ground in reading and math, with 12th graders’ scores falling to historic lows. At the fourth grade level, only around one third (≈33 percent) are reading at or above Proficient according to NAEP; about 63 percent are at or above Basic, meaning ~37 percent are below Basic. These data points indicate that a large portion of students are not only behind but increasingly so over time. The decline from 2019 to 2022 in reading proficiency signals that the problem is not static.

Early literacy is crucial because students who fail to read proficiently by the end of third grade are about four times more likely to drop out of high school compared to proficient readers. (Education Commission of States). There is also the adult literacy problem, which for instance, more than half of adults aged 16-74 in the U.S. cannot read proficiently (defined as above a sixth-grade level equivalent) according to various studies. This concerning information shows that reading is not weak in importance. But rather its deficits are large and consequential in the commuity, showing long-term consequences outside of school. It justifies that in K-6, Reading must be treated as a discipline to be taught, assessed, tracked, and remedied.

Research as Discipline, What It Is, and Why It Matters

Research, particularly in the educational context, is already recognized as an academic discipline. Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) is one such formal discipline. The National Research Council defines DBER as “investigat[ing] learning and teaching in a discipline using a range of methods with deep grounding in the discipline’s priorities, worldview, knowledge, and practices.” DBER scholars examine how best students learn particular content in science, engineering, mathematics, often at undergraduate level, but also with K-12 implications. The field is concerned not only with how to teach, but what conceptual misunderstandings are common, how students think, what practices and tools enable better learning.

More broadly, educational research disciplines encompass curriculum studies, literacy studies, sociocultural approaches to learning, cognitive science, assessment theory, etc. Research is not monolithic; it draws from multiple other disciplines but itself has meta-theoretical and methodological core, norms about ethics, peer review, publication, etc. This makes Research more than a skill, it is a discipline with scholarly legitimacy.

Emphasizing Research as discipline in grades 7-12 has pedagogical and societal relevance. Pedagogically, it trains students in how to ask good questions, critically evaluate sources, understand data, think in probabilistic, empirical, and qualitative ways, interpret conflicting evidence, and produce arguments grounded in evidence. In a world of misinformation, AI, fast-moving science and technology, being able to research is not optional. Societally, many careers depend on research, analysis, innovation, and evidence-based decision-making. Including Research explicitly prepares students for that environment.