Considerations for Evaluating Reading Instruction.

As in many human enterprises, learning more about something sometimes leads to more questions than it does answers. Reading instruc tion has the same characteristic. While this may be expected, it tends to create a lot of anxiety for professionals charged with teaching young children to read. The state of the art of reading instruction is not as advanced as we would like to ensure that every child has the right to read. It is, however, sufficiently developed to evaluate attempts to reach that goal. What follows is a description of elements that most reading experts would endorse as part of a sound instructional program in reading. The degree of congruence between the ideal and the real can provide a basis for evaluating reading instruction.