The Reading Wars: What is Really Going On?

9/29/2023

Google “reading wars” and you will see how long this debate has been going on. I did a quick search and on page one of my search was an article in The Atlantic titled The Reading Wars dated November 1, 1997. Headline making debates about how to teach children to read isn’t a new phenomenon. In 1955, Rudolf Flesch wrote a bestselling book, Why Johnny Can’t Read. In it, he argued the lack of phonics instruction in public schools created a reading crisis. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the wars broke out again, this time between allies of phonics instruction versus allies of a whole language approach. This debate was sparked by the 1983 report A Nation at Risk, which claimed the drop in SAT scores had to do with a decline in phonics instruction. This claim was later refuted (Carson, Huelskamp, & Woodall, 1993). Of course, the debate still goes on. Both sides are convinced that their way of teaching literacy instruction is the best way (and only way).

One thing is for certain, the reading wars have become a popular story in the media. However, we must ask, do the reporters telling these stories have a deep understanding of reading research? After all, reporting can be biased and many reporters lack a grasp of the complexities of teaching reading. It would be like me writing an article on astrophysics as a science reporter. I would need more than an interest and a grade school understanding of science. It would require years of experience with a strong foundation in research.

The reading wars capture our attention because they each promise an easy, cost effective solution to a complex problem. The funny thing is that both sides of the argument have things that work and should be a part of a quality literacy program.

Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he was Founding Director of the UIC Center for Literacy is quoted as saying, “You want to make sure that all components of reading are receiving adequate attention – not going overboard with some and neglecting others.”

Here are general truths about how children learn to read (supported by research):

Almost all children learn to speak naturally. Reading and writing must be taught.
Literacy begins at birth. It is rooted in early social interactions and experiences that include regular exposure to oral language and print. Strong roots tend to produce strong readers. (Wren, S. (2015). Ten Myths About Learning to Read. Retrieved October 5, 2015.)
All good readers are good decoders. Decoding should be taught until children can accurately and independently read new words. Decoding depends on phonemic awareness: a child's ability to identify individual speech sounds. (Cabell, S. Q., & Hwang, H. (2020). Building content knowledge to boost comprehension in the primary grades. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S99–S107.)
Fluent readers can instantly and accurately recognize most words in a text. They can read with expression and at an appropriate rate for their age. Reading fluency requires comprehension and it supports comprehension. (Kim, Y. S., Petscher, Y., Schatschneider, C., & Foorman, B. (2010). Does growth rate in oral reading fluency matter in predicting reading comprehension achievement? Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 652-667.)
Comprehension draws on multiple skills and strengths, including a solid foundation of vocabulary and background knowledge. Comprehension has to be the goal for any instruction. (Ecalle, J., Dujardin, E., Gomes, C., Cros, L., & Magnan, A. (2021). Decoding, fluency and reading comprehension: examining the nature of their relationships in a large-scale study with first graders. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 37(5), 444-461.)
One size does not fit all: Great schools use student data to differentiate their instruction. (Rayner, K., Foorman, B. F., Perfetti, C. A., Pesetsky, D., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2002). How should reading be taught? Scientific American, 286(3), 84-91.)
Leaders in the field of literacy agree that the skills needed to master the foundational and fundamentals of reading and writing instruction include phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language. This is not debatable. All of the components of reading must receive adequate attention.

Ultimately, addressing the reading wars and improving reading instruction requires a thoughtful, evidence-based approach that takes into account the diverse needs of learners. Educators, researchers, policymakers, and the media all play important roles in shaping the conversation around this issue, and a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved is key to finding a common ground path forward.

I look forward to seeing you around campus!