Stanford study wades into reading wars with high marks for phonics-based teaching

Test scores at 66 of the state's lowest-performing schools strongly outpaced similar schools after educators adopted phonics-based instruction, offering some of the most compelling evidence to date that so-called science of reading methods are effective, a Stanford study concluded.

In science-of-reading practices, students are taught to use phonics, build vocabulary, pronounce words and read aloud, as well as develop an understanding of what they they read. The results of the Stanford study released Monday come as the nation's educators wrestle with how to improve poor reading skills, especially among Black and Latino students and those from low-income families, a longtime problem made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

California is among 32 states and the District of Columbia that have passed laws or installed new policies since 2013 that rely on science-of-reading practices. And the new study lends support to this trend.

"Part of what is really encouraging about these results are gains in schools that have been chronically low performing," said researcher Sarah Novikoff, who put together with professor Thomas Dee, an