High School Students Need More Than Mandated Phonics Instruction

Scripted reading programs promise much but, when they meet individual students and teachers in real classrooms, the one-size-fits-all approach may succeed for no one. Still, teachers are required to use programs that districts buy. Carol D. Wickstrom addresses this dilemma by describing the efforts of one ninth-grade teacher to negotiate the demands of the mandated program while meeting the needs of her students.