Legislating Phonics: Settled Science or Political Polemics?
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| Title: | Legislating Phonics: Settled Science or Political Polemics? |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Reinking, David1 david.reinking@uga.edu, Hruby, George G.2, Risko, Victoria J.3 |
| Source: | Teachers College Record. Jan2023, Vol. 125 Issue 1, p104-131. 28p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Phonics, *Ideology, *Literacy programs, *Teacher training, *Individual needs, Polemics |
| Geographic Terms: | Tennessee |
| Abstract: | In this commentary, we identify a phonics-first ideology and its polemical distortions of research and science to promote legislation that constrains and diminishes the teaching of reading. We affirm our own, and a majority of reading professionals', commitment to teaching phonics. However, we argue that phonics instruction is more effective when embedded in a more comprehensive program of literacy instruction that accommodates students' individual needs and multiple approaches to teaching phonics—a view supported by substantial research. After summarizing the politicization of phonics in the United States, we critique a legislated training course for teachers in Tennessee as representative of how a phonics-first ideology is expressed polemically for political purposes. We contrast it with a more collaboratively developed, balanced, nonlegislative approach in the previous governor's administration. Specifically, the training course (a) makes an unfounded claim that there is a national reading crisis that can be traced to insufficient or inappropriate phonics instruction; (b) distorts, misrepresents, or omits relevant research findings and recommendations, most prominently from the report of the National Reading Panel; (c) inaccurately suggests that "balanced literacy instruction" is "whole language" instruction in disguise; and (d) wrongly claims that its views of phonics are based on a settled science of reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Teachers College Record is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 162601773 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Legislating Phonics: Settled Science or Political Polemics? – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Reinking%2C+David%22">Reinking, David</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> david.reinking@uga.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hruby%2C+George+G%2E%22">Hruby, George G.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Risko%2C+Victoria+J%2E%22">Risko, Victoria J.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Teachers+College+Record%22">Teachers College Record</searchLink>. Jan2023, Vol. 125 Issue 1, p104-131. 28p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phonics%22">Phonics</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ideology%22">Ideology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy+programs%22">Literacy programs</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+training%22">Teacher training</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individual+needs%22">Individual needs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Polemics%22">Polemics</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tennessee%22">Tennessee</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: In this commentary, we identify a phonics-first ideology and its polemical distortions of research and science to promote legislation that constrains and diminishes the teaching of reading. We affirm our own, and a majority of reading professionals', commitment to teaching phonics. However, we argue that phonics instruction is more effective when embedded in a more comprehensive program of literacy instruction that accommodates students' individual needs and multiple approaches to teaching phonics—a view supported by substantial research. After summarizing the politicization of phonics in the United States, we critique a legislated training course for teachers in Tennessee as representative of how a phonics-first ideology is expressed polemically for political purposes. We contrast it with a more collaboratively developed, balanced, nonlegislative approach in the previous governor's administration. Specifically, the training course (a) makes an unfounded claim that there is a national reading crisis that can be traced to insufficient or inappropriate phonics instruction; (b) distorts, misrepresents, or omits relevant research findings and recommendations, most prominently from the report of the National Reading Panel; (c) inaccurately suggests that "balanced literacy instruction" is "whole language" instruction in disguise; and (d) wrongly claims that its views of phonics are based on a settled science of reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Teachers College Record is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/01614681231155688 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 28 StartPage: 104 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Phonics Type: general – SubjectFull: Ideology Type: general – SubjectFull: Literacy programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher training Type: general – SubjectFull: Individual needs Type: general – SubjectFull: Polemics Type: general – SubjectFull: Tennessee Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Legislating Phonics: Settled Science or Political Polemics? Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Reinking, David – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hruby, George G. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Risko, Victoria J. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Text: Jan2023 Type: published Y: 2023 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 01614681 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 125 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Teachers College Record Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
