Argues that systematic phonics is destined to fail as a method of reading instruction, and will make learning to read more difficult for many children. Argues it totally misunderstands or ignores how children actually learn to read; the time to learn phonics, if at all, is during reading; and phonemic awareness is spurious. Looks at ideological…

Describes the formation of the new "California Reading Initiative" that directly ties school funding to practices such as teaching phonemic awareness and systematic, explicit phonics. Assesses its research base, and discusses problems in teaching Limited-English-Proficient students to read following its directives. Presents research that supports…