The Reading Wars and Teachers’ Agency in Practice

This short article is a response to the reading wars currently engaging attention in the popular press and among school districts, parents, and teachers. It attempts to portray the variety and the nuances of teaching reading pedagogy in contrast to a one-size-fits-all approach focused either on phonics or on whole language. It further encourages teacher meetings and discussion as a valuable location for the reflection and sharing of experience that leads to learning and improved practice—an approach in stark contrast to the decreased autonomy for classroom teachers resulting from most responses to this conflict.