The Science Of Teaching Reading: There Is No Right Way

Research on teaching reading is basically nonsense. Scripted curricula, hours of test-prep and a focus on testing are damaging our kids. They need to be exposed to all the stuff that makes up their world BEFORE they focus on the minutiae that we adults seem to thrive on. When will common sense make a comeback?

Conclusion (pdf)

We are nowhere near the time in which science can answer the question as to the best way to teach reading. Teachers will probably always need to understand and be skilled in a variety of ways of supporting and teaching students. If we really want to "Leave No Child Behind," we have to stop tying teachers' hands with scripted one-size-fits-all programs. We must allow them to do what they are trained to do, and spend a career getting better at—figuring out how the actual students sitting in front of them learn, and adapt their teaching to the students, not the other way around! (Which is part of the argument for small class sizes and small schools, but that's another topic).

h/t Ken Libby