The author discounts the effects of currently promoted speed reading programs as resulting in short-term effectiveness and disregarding a consideration of what constitutes good reading at any speed. He claims that the types and levels of transformations and interpretations, verbal and nonverbal, that must go into good reading are not susceptible to simple speed reading programs or formulas. He suggests that speed reading is best taught indirectly and that educators need to focus on understanding the reading process as it is integrated with the total personality, intelligence, emotions, previous education, and life experience of the reader. (CM)