Balanced literacy programs take from both phonics and whole-language philosophies. At first, teachers spend some time developing a young reader¹s skill in phonics and spelling, encouraging the students to read with confidence, with others and by themselves. Later, a robust writing and comprehension program is implemented__so students are able to write by themselves and with others. The program requires a log for each learner, where progress is recorded and which can be used for mapping out future reading strategies for each child.

According to Marilyn Haring, Professor of Counseling and Development at Purdue University, "The debate (on phonics and whole language) is unproductive not only because it deals with two different parts of literacy, but also because research supports the conclusion that children learn literacy best when taught by both methods."

"Literacy is a complex skill that takes much practice for any learner to master," Haring said. "Each student¹s difficulty in learning to read and write demands a skilled teacher who can analyze the problem and provide a range of instruction, not just phonics and not just whole language." Because of its flexible framework, the balanced literacy model relies heavily on non-standardized in-class testing as a measure of students¹ progress. Students are grouped according to ability and can be moved to another group as their skills improve. Teachers are encouraged to co-teach classes by working as partners in refining shared reading, guided reading, and introducing new ideas to try out as they work with each other toward excellence in the classroom.

The balanced approach seems to work well for children who are limited English proficient. Studies of Spanish speaking children in Title I programs in Texas point to a marked improvement in their ability to acquire English language reading skills, especially if the program is augmented with early intervention programs such as S.O.A.R. (Summer Opportunity to Accelerate Reading) which operates in Austin. Obviously, the balanced literacy approach demands an investment of time from teachers and money from school districts for training. Indeed, teacher training is regarded in many quarters as the key to improved results in students reading scores. "Teacher training is the No. 1 in the equation for improving instruction," said California¹s Conejo Valley Unified Superintendent Jerry Gross: "This training is going to have a long-term effect, not only on teacher retention but on the kids¹ education."

Boosting reading achievement among large numbers of students with limited English skills is no easy task. And the pressure is on teachers to come up with results__fast. No matter what approach is used to literacy training, there is no substitute for effective teachers. As Kris Guttierez (Associate Professor at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies) points out, "We know that teachers¹ knowledge and experience have more to do with good teaching __and what children learn__than virtually any other factor."

Providing teachers with a variety of reading and writing strategies will enable them to develop a student-centered learning environment that will improve reading achievement among English language learners.