I am aware of the whole language/phonics debate that has been raging for years. The fact is, you can't argue with success. I have taught many children to read using the methods in this book. I have tracked their progress. Not one of my students, some of whom are in upper elementary school, seems to be negatively affected. One former student was tested by his school and found to be reading on an eighth-grade level.(He was in kindergarten at the time.)I taught my own two daughters to read using DISTAR. My older daughter tested out at a third grade reading level near the beginning of first grade. She is an honor roll student. My younger daughter hasn't been tested, butone of her whole language reading teachers tells me that she is one of the most advanced kids in all the kindergarten classes, which have nearly 300 kids. Of all the reading programs I have tried, thisone has proven, time and again, to be the most effective.