To look inside Julie Celestial’s kindergarten classroom in Long Beach is to peer into the future of reading in California. During a recent lesson, 25 kindergartners gazed at the whiteboard ...

In kindergarten through second grade, the phonics program focuses on "foundational literacy skills, including oral language, print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, word recognition, and ...

As test scores lag, there’s a growing debate between proponents of the “science of reading,” which emphasizes phonics, and traditional educators who prefer to instill a love of literature.