The NRP Comparison of Whole Language and Phonics: Ignoring the Crucial Variable in Reading

In this article, Krashen examines the results of the NRP’s comparison of skills-based and whole language approaches through the lens of reading comprehension. His findings reveal that even when one accepts the restrictions on what is acceptable research imposed by the panel, when one considers the actual amount of reading done by children and examines the results for tests of reading comprehension, the research does not show that skills-based methods are superior.