Nothing to see here. Move along.

Last I looked (and I didn't look to hard and long), I discovered 26 publishing companies and various wanna-be authors trying to get you to believe they have the key and/or the curriculum to answer the science of reading dilemma.  I quit searching after just a couple of pages.

I found that some of the publishers that, years ago, openly stated phonics and explicit, direct step-by-step decoding instruction weren't needed, NOW, all of a sudden, think it is....that they now possess the golden ticket to a child's reading success.

These are the same publishers characterized by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars movies....."Nothing to see here.  Move along."  

In some respects, they are correct.  There is nothing new to see when it comes to the science of reading.  SOR has been around for almost a century.  Don't get fooled by fancy, new colorful pictures and computer driven curriculum to teach reading.  It's not out there.

Effectively teaching a child to read will be a teacher driven task.  Much of the "new" curriculum from the well-established publishers have added whatever skills are needed in order to say they are science of reading principled.  Don't get to caught up in the computer driven apps that totally fail to teach children critical thinking skills.  

A few schools the used VoWac moved away from us for newer, flashier pages.  Most of them have already told me they haven't gained a thing by switching.  But they did manage to spend additional monies for PD only to discover they were already "doing the science of reading" with VoWac.

I don’t want to throw any undeserving program under the bus.  There are a few that belong there.  Nonetheless, the key point I make is do your research!  

Schools are too often determined to put something new in place because.....well....it’s new.  It could be because positive results didn’t come as expected.  Believe it or not, I have even seen schools put a curriculum in play just because the sales rep looked cute.  Seriously!  Sometimes we can be our own worst enimies when it comes to deciding curriculum.  

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a clear set of goals in mind.  Goals that each and every member of the teaching staff strive to acheive.  Equally important, goals that parents understand and can easily get on board with the direction your ship is sailing.

If you and/or your colleagues are adding TPT materials, you may need to take a closer look at your overall set of goals.  Adding random supplements to your curriculum takes away continuity and consistency.  Clear goals.  Clear focus.