Over the years, differences have emerged between experts in the science of reading and those who focus on supporting English learner/emergent bilingual (EL/EB) students. Yet despite these differences, everyone shares a common goal: to help all students become skilled readers and writers.
While there is broad agreement on many foundational ideas—like the importance of building language and knowledge, setting high expectations, and teaching foundational reading skills—some presentations and publications have portrayed a divide between these communities. One example is a 2022 white paper from the National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL), which criticized practices associated with the science of reading.
However, many concerns raised in that paper stemmed from school practices that misrepresent the science of reading. For example, some schools emphasized phonics or phonemic awareness for 90 minutes a day, while neglecting oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension. These approaches do not reflect evidence-aligned instruction and risk undermining broader literacy goals—especially for EL/EB students.
Moving forward, it’s essential to clarify what the science of reading is—and what it is not. Evidence-aligned instruction must support all aspects of literacy: language comprehension, writing, word recognition, and, for EL/EB students, English language development.
To foster understanding, Goldenberg et al. (2022) published a response to the NCEL paper seeking common ground. Following that, The Reading League brought together a diverse group of stakeholders for a series of collaborative meetings. These conversations were grounded in mutual respect, with the goal of listening, learning, and rebuilding trust.
In the first virtual meeting in March 2022, participants acknowledged that supporters of the science of reading haven’t always emphasized EL/EB needs as clearly as they should. Together, the group began breaking down myths—like the idea that the science of reading is phonics-only or a one-size-fits-all program. Instead, they reaffirmed its true meaning: a deep body of research about how all students learn to read.
- Language Magazine “Clarifying the Science of Reading”
The group convened multiple times from the spring to fall of 2022 with the objective of addressing significant topics, fostering clarity, and establishing trust. Through these discussions, several essential areas of agreement emerged, while other important questions surfaced that required further exploration. These shared alignments and questions served as the foundation for more in-depth discussions during an in-person gathering, The Reading League Summit.
During these discussions, another group of EL/EB and science of reading experts had been meeting and discussing concrete alignments in California. This group developed an excellent resource that can serve as a foundation for conversations based on collaboration.
Pivot Learning published its conclusions in this report: