Teach Effectively!

On 8 January 2007, the Morning Edition show on (US) National Public Radio carried a report by Beth Fertig on the use of the Wilson reading program in remedial instruction with middle-school aged children in New York City (NY, US). Wilson Reading System is one of the Orton-Gillingham family of multi-sensory structured language programs that are popular among those advocating tutorial remediation of reading problems (e.g., dyslexia).

In her story, entitled “NYC Schools Turn to Phonics to Boost Reading,” Ms. Fertig noted that research on Wilson is preliminary. I was encourged to hear a national news reporter who did not fall for the case-study testimonials that one so often hears in such news reports. Indeed, the research on Wilson does not include powerful studies. It is mostly limited to pre- and post-tests that show students making gains; such studies do not allow strong inferences because it is not possible to know whether comparable students would have made no, similar, or greater gains had they received some other remedial instruction.

The Wilson system grew out of the experiences of Barbara Wilson in work with adults with dyslexia. Based on those experiences Ms. Wilson and her husband, Edward, founded the Wilson Learning Center, and it has since morphed from a direct service operation to one providing professional development in the use of the Wilson system.

In addition to talking with Ms. Wilson, Ms. Fertig spoke with Margaret McLaughlin, a professor of education at the University of Maryland. Professor Mclaughlin expressed concern about the failure of schools to provide adequate reading instruction in the early grades. (Full disclosure: Maggie and I co-authored a study 20-some years ago.)

Link to the NPR page where one can hear the audio of Ms. Fertig’s report and to the site promoting the Wilson system. Also, download a simple review of research on the Wilson system from the Florida Reading Research Center.