Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher,
I’ll never forget my current 6th grader’s first day of kindergarten. His wide eyes sparkled with wonder and anticipation. As the third child, he couldn’t wait to join his older brothers at our local elementary school and experience all the joys they had shared. Most of all, he was excited about learning to read.
Our home was filled with books, and he spent countless hours pretending to read alongside me and his brothers. As a former elementary teacher who had already raised two proficient readers, I understood the importance of early literacy. I read to him daily, enrolled him in preschool for a language-rich environment, and even tried some early reading instruction at home.
Where did that land us? Unfortunately, nowhere.
He didn’t learn to read in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, or even fourth grade.
Little did we know, kindergarten was the beginning of a long road to reading failure.
It wasn’t until 5th grade that he finally learned to read proficiently. You might be wondering, “How did that happen?”
The answer lies in the method of instruction he received—balanced literacy. This term emerged from the reading wars of the 1980s, attempting to merge whole language and phonics-first approaches. Unfortunately, from day one, my son was taught that reading was a guessing game. He was encouraged to look at pictures, focus on the first letters of words, and even skip or substitute words that didn’t make sense.
According to Nancy Young's Ladder of Reading, only 10-15% of children can learn to read effectively with this method. My son, later diagnosed with dyslexia, fell into the 85% who needed systematic, explicit instruction following a structured scope and sequence.
When tier one classroom instruction failed him, he moved to tier two instruction called Reading Recovery. What we didn’t realize was that this was just more of the same, albeit in a one-on-one setting.
When that also failed, he qualified for an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and was placed in a tier three program that, you guessed it, used the same ineffective method.
Ironically, proponents of balanced literacy often believe that each child learns to read in their own unique way, necessitating diverse teaching resources for responsive and differentiated instruction. The unfortunate reality is that no one at my son’s school recognized his need for structured literacy instruction. Instead, we had a program designed to benefit the small percentage of students who learn to read effortlessly.
What my son truly needed was structured literacy. Unlike balanced literacy, structured literacy is based on the science of reading and incorporates all components of evidence-based instruction. It includes explicit, systematic teaching of phonological awareness, word recognition, phonics and decoding, spelling, and syntax. This approach allows students who grasp language patterns easily to learn quickly, while also providing the necessary support for those who struggle.
I often wonder what someone could have said to me as a proponent of balanced literacy that might have opened my eyes to the need for change in my classroom. Honestly, it took my son’s struggles for me to recognize how my teaching methods were failing not only him but many others.
If you are determined to prevent countless children from facing the same challenges my son endured, I challenge you to take the following steps this school year:
1. Listen to Our Stories of Failure
Connect with parents of children who have struggled to learn to read. Our stories are strikingly similar, and often the only way our children learned to read was through relentless advocacy for evidence-based instruction. Listening to these narratives fosters empathy that no professional development can replicate. Understanding how beloved teaching methods may inadvertently lead to reading failure can be a catalyst for change in your classroom. Recognizing the academic and emotional toll on struggling students can inspire you to seek better instructional strategies.
2. Join a Community of Learners
Access to the science of reading is crucial. Like you, I was trained in balanced literacy, unaware of its limitations. Fortunately, today, there are many resources available—Facebook groups, articles, and cognitive scientists sharing insights on how children learn to read. Seek out these communities and engage with fellow educators dedicated to understanding the science of reading. Embrace professional development opportunities focused on evidence-based practices. What you learn could profoundly impact your students’ success.
3. Advocate for Change in Your District
Transforming the field of literacy education is no small task, but the cost of inaction is generational reading failure. As gatekeepers of knowledge, we owe it to every child to equip them with the skills needed to decode words and develop rich vocabulary and knowledge. Parents, educators, and even some policymakers are joining the fight for evidence-based instruction. Imagine the change we could create if teachers across the nation rallied together for this cause.
4. Expect Every Child to Learn to Read
The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that nearly all children have the cognitive capacity to learn to read. Only about 5% have severe impairments that hinder reading acquisition. With 95% of students capable of reading, we must reject failure as an option in our classrooms. If students are not responding to our instruction, we need to reevaluate and adjust our teaching methods.
Sincerely,
A Mom Determined to Advocate #UntilEveryChildCanRead
#SayDyslexia #StructuredLiteracy