Lessons are taught, a tightrope is taut, and a small child is a tot. Inexplicably, this research is widely ignored by the education establishment, both in teacher training and in classroom practices for reading instruction. Instead, the favored approach is based on a well-marketed theory known as “balanced literacy.” But balanced literacy is proven to successfully teach only half of students. They must be effectively taught to read. In a recent front-page report of the Sunday New York Times, one of the leading proponents of balanced literacy, Lucy Calkins, recanted her influential view on “balanced literacy” based on her new interest in scientific research.

Source: New York Times June 19, 2022 15:04 UTC