Giving Compass' Take:

• This article from The Hechinger Report — written by a teacher from Maine — explores the concept of "balanced literacy" and how phonics can be supported by other methods when teaching kids to read.

• While there are varying definitions of what "balanced literacy," the goals are the same — making sure we give our kids the best education. How can nonprofits be part of this important conversation?

• Here's more on how funders can help foster literacy.

“Balanced literacy.” It means different things to different people.

On the importance of explicit, systematic phonics instruction, I agree with Emily Hanford’s arguments in her recent article. I also believe that part of the reason we are still having this debate of phonics versus whole language versus balanced literacy is a matter of definitions.

Phonics instruction that is all worksheets all the time and those little decodable books is boring. All picture books all the time is great fun, but students are being shortchanged without the phonics piece.

I know. I was trained as a whole language reading teacher, and saw very quickly that my kindergarten students needed more explicit phonics instruction. Balanced literacy seemed to be the answer, as I believed it meant taking the best of both approaches. However, the literature defines balanced literacy differently.

At this same time, my school was rewriting our language arts curriculum. At a K-12 meeting, I encountered the same problem discussed in Hanford’s article by middle and high school teachers: bright students in advanced classes couldn’t “sound out” new vocabulary. It supported me in my search for a better way to teach beginning reading. As phonics seemed to be at the heart of the problem, I sought the advice of a professor who taught an elective course in phonics — one I had eschewed as a whole language teacher.

To solve the problem of boring worksheets or scripted phonics and expensive phonics programs, she suggested Words Their Way. I offer this program, which I have used successfully for 25 years, as an example because it is easy to differentiate, and differentiation is the key to the success of any phonics instruction.

Read the full article about building strong reading programs by Kathleen Mikulka at The Hechinger Report.