Although the federal government requires public elementary schools to begin reading education in kindergarten, many private schools delay reading instruction in favor of basic classes in phonetics and storytelling. Some of these private schools cite studies indicating that early reading is a specific skill not necessarily related to intelligence. And small children who are able to sound out words are not always capable of comprehending the words they recognize. As one educator put it, "Education is not a race." According to the passage, some private schools believe reading instruction in kindergarten is