One of the difficulties with the Whole Language approach is the lack of understanding of what it is really all about. Whole Language is a philosophy, not an instructional method. When that philosophy is put into action it may have a wide variety of appearances. WL is not the same as literature-based reading instruction. WL is not anti-skills.
Children learn language best when engaging in authentic uses of language.
Language study is an aggregate of many language functions which are learned more easily and effectively as a whole rather than in disaggregated fashion. Among those language functions are speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling, phonemic awareness, pragmatics, syntax, semantics, grapho-phonemics, etc. As in most cases, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Please be careful about abandoning a worthy philosophy before knowing what we are abandonning. Whole Language without phonics isn't whole.