Stop the sound and fury of the phonics vs. whole language war. We need both. Many of you responded. In almost every one of your comments, I found two central themes.
Different children learn to read differently.
We can only hope to move toward better understandings by putting our most cherished beliefs on the line and letting them stand or fall in the crucible of our own classrooms. Second, you said balance is the key. Another reader suggested I take a look at the Success for All program. So I did, and I liked what I learned. Now 10 years old, Success for All operates in 460 schools in 100 districts and 31 states.