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Despite its proven effectiveness, the United States largely abandoned phonics instruction around 20-25 years ago. Cantwell attributes this shift to a misconception that phonics was "not very exciting," leading educators to favor more relaxed "balanced literacy" approaches that emphasize exposure to various texts without systematic decoding instruction.
However, this approach often leaves children ill-equipped to handle complex or multisyllabic words, especially when they encounter books with minimal pictures. Without direct phonics instruction, students lack the essential decoding skills, which hampers reading development and confidence.