Literacy materials dropped by many schools face new pressure from struggling readers' parents

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4:00 PM on Friday, December 6, 2024

By CAROLYN THOMPSON

A lawsuit filed by a pair of Massachusetts families is adding to the backlash against an approach to reading instruction that some schools still use despite evidence that it’s not the most effective. In the so-called reading wars, states around the country have been overhauling reading curricula in favor of research-based strategies known as the “science of reading,” including an emphasis on sounding out words. Families of Massachusetts students who have struggled to read filed the lawsuit this week against authors and publishers endorsing approaches that do not emphasize phonics.