How the Building Blocks of Reading Shape a Classroom: Teachers’ Perspectives on Phonics amid Science of Reading Initiatives

Abstract

After decades of failed U.S. initiatives to boost reading outcomes, North Carolina’s 2021 Excellent Public Schools Act has put forth a plan to train teachers according to the Science of Reading as a solution. Existing research shows strong evidence that instruction aligned to the Science of Reading, like a sequential phonics curriculum, can help to close achievement gaps for at-risk readers. The Central Park School for Children (CPSFC) in Durham, a charter school built on a project-based learning (PBL) model, allows individual teachers to choose whether to implement systematic phonics instruction. At CPSFC, disparities in scores based on race and socioeconomic status remain on par with Durham Public Schools, despite school efforts to increase equitable access to high-quality education. Still, leveraging PBL's benefits at CPSFC means supporting teacher independence wherever possible. This mixed-methods project examines how Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers’ decisions on whether to adopt an explicit, systematic phonics curriculum relate to their students’ success in reading. The statistical analysis uses two-sample independent t tests to evaluate how growth in overall reading comprehension varies, comparing classes regularly receiving systematic phonics instruction with those that do not. For 2021-2023, Grade 1 students at CPSFC who scored lower in foundational decoding skills achieved significantly greater reading growth in classes with systematic phonics than those without phonics. For Grade 2, the 2022-2023 data indicates that students at CPSFC showed significantly more improvement in reading comprehension within classes with no phonics instruction, regardless of whether they had mastered grade-level decoding skills. Three of eight teachers for Grades 1–2 agreed to answer survey questions, and all three who responded use phonics regularly in the classroom. Common factors cited in their motivation to teach phonics include access to trainings and instructional resources, the need to support struggling readers, and benefits for the whole class. Based on the findings, this report recommends strongly prioritizing phonics in Grade 1 and deemphasizing its importance in Grade 2. Potential steps forward include allowing teachers to switch grades based on their preference of whether to teach phonics and directly discussing the equity implications of different modes of instruction.