Does the Panels work put an end to controversy about the best way to teach reading?
The Panel’s research suggests that reading instruction is complex. Children come into the classroom with different levels of preparation, as do their teachers. In addition, learning to read requires a combination of skills, including phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and text reading comprehension skills. Not all children learn in the same way and one strategy does not work for all children. As a result, the Panel’s findings demonstrate that learning phonics skills is critical for positive reading development. However, the best results will be achieved when direct instruction is combined with the development of other skills, and when teachers are able to use a combination of direct instructional strategies to achieve those skills.
