The future of fonics

"(This resource) examines the course of reading instruction throughout the century. She zeroes in on Ontario, but schools in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain share a similar history in reading education. She pays particular attention to the uses of phonics instruction as different philosophies of reading education held sway. Isobel Raven comes to the conclusion that in reading and writing English, phonics has been weighed and found wanting. All methods have left behind a group of students she calls " the struggling average." These students have average ability, and are not candidates for special education. They work as hard as their "happy average" classmates, but plod miserably in their efforts to acquire literacy. Such children are in great danger of becoming part of that 20% of the adult population whose literacy skills are inadequate for success in a knowledge based society. The author purposes that a reform of English spelling will bring literacy into the reach of the struggling average. It will also benefit the thousands of people learning English as a foreign language."--Publisher's website (www.trafford.com)