While this episode is admittedly anecdotal, it does exemplify what scientists have broadly learned about speed reading: It doesn’t work. Two major reasons speed reading doesn’t work For well over a ...

I was taught speed reading in the early 60's, in a pilot program in the 5th grade. They used a tachistoscope (sp) to flash sentences on the screen.

Two major reasons speed reading doesn’t work For well over a half-century, speed reading courses all promise to drastically accelerate one’s reading ability with no detriment to comprehension.

Truly good speed readers will read 4-8 times faster than when they're reading every word and their comprehension and retention will increase. That cuts the course load to 2-5 hours per week.