The human brain is naturally adapted for spoken language. However,”reading and writing are acquired skills for which the human brain is not yet fully evolved.” For nearly 400 years, phonics has been the prevailing method of reading instruction. “However, in the mid 19th century, Horace Mann, ‘the father of public education,’ bitterly opposed phonics instruction, initiating the reading wars that persist today.”
The most prevalent current methods for language instruction include whole language and phonics. “The whole language myth (perpetuated as fact) that people learn to read naturally just by being immersed in print results in misguided instructional practices.” It is an approach in which (rather than sounding out the word) students rely on context clues to guess a word. “Students are taught to develop “cues” for words, which often involves looking at pictures next to words. Through repetition, the student progresses from guessing words based on those cues to memorizing them.”
The results clearly indicate that whole language is ineffective. The US ranked 28 out of 36 OECD countries on the reading portion of the 2022 international PISA exam. “The only reason the U.S. rose is because academic performance in once higher ranking countries, such as Iceland and the Slovak Republic, fell by even more since the previous testing round in 2018.”
States’ adoption of evidence based reading programs featuring phonics has been unacceptably slow, leaving millions of students unable to read proficiently. “As of April 29, 2024, 38 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-based reading instruction since 2013.” Mississippi is one such state in which a significant change occurred with the implementation of a phonics program. It ranked 49th in the United States for elementary school literacy 10 years ago and moved to 21, showing the fastest growth in the country in reading comprehension.
It’s a step in the right direction, but a long journey continues.
