ERIC Number: ED625611
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Sep
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Science of Reading Movement: The Never-Ending Debate and the Need for a Different Approach to Reading Instruction
Thomas, Paul
National Education Policy Center
How students learn to read and how reading is best taught are often the focus of media, public, and political criticism. The contemporary reading reform movement is the latest chapter of a long history of controversies, dating from at least the early 20th century. Throughout the decades, attention has focused on how teachers teach reading (typically including specific concern for phonics instruction), standardized test scores (including international comparisons), and a changing list of hypothetical causes for disappointing test scores (including progressivism, whole language, and balanced literacy). This policy brief explores the controversial history of the reading reform movement, and provides recommendations for state and local policymakers to provide teachers the flexibility and support necessary to adapt their teaching strategies to specific students' needs.
Descriptors: Reading Instruction, Educational Change, Educational Policy, Educational History, Student Needs, Educational Strategies, Student Centered Learning, Reading Strategies
National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
Authoring Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A