The report, which has implications for literacy legislation pending in Congress, found that the majority of reading problems faced by adults could have been avoided or resolved in the early years of childhood. While the report focuses primarily on children, many of its findings seem applicable to reading instruction for youth and adults as well. Most children having difficulty reading do not require qualitatively different instruction from other children. A good teacher can transcend the obstacles that make children vulnerable to failure.
Excellent instruction is the best intervention for children having problems learning to read.
It is imperative that teachers at all grade levels understand the course of literacy development and the role of instruction in optimizing literacy development. Language-rich home, daycare, and preschool environments are important. Excellent instruction is most effective when children arrive in the first grade motivated for literacy. Preschools and other group care settings for young children often provide relatively impoverished language and literacy environments, in particular those available to families with limited economic resources. A balance between phonics and whole language is needed.