Lawrence Public Library, pictured Aug. 20, 2015. Phonics is the key to unlocking literacy skills among Lawrence K-12 students, according to educator Barbara Mullen, and the use of other methods to ...

California took a big step toward overhauling its reading curriculum last week when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill pushing for phonics-based instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms.

4:16 p.m. June 2, 2025: An earlier version of this report incorrectly said teaching phonics was new to Long Beach Unified. Some phonics has been taught in the district for years, but a new focus on ...

The phonics screening check is so closely correlated with month of birth that it can be argued that it is a test of age rather than decoding.