Spelling and grammar rules are immaterial. Yet despite Reading Recovery's implicit critique of whole language, the program draws from the same pool of education dogma. There's the trouble. Many districts began to tap Reading Recovery. It's an incredibly expensive program.
Schools often import education ideas with a hefty price tag, but without a strong research backing.
These problems can fester for years. Just look at Columbus' schools. Reading Recovery first came to Columbus public schools in the 1984-1985 school year. So kids have suffered for 15 years as teachers and researchers experiment on Johnny's brain. And even now, the district is refusing to completely reject the failed theory.