Interesting article by Abigail Marshall which explains that programmes based on comprehension strategies are much more effective than those which only focus on phonics.
She looked at a recent meta-analysis by British researchers, Dominic Wyse and Alice Bradbury and concluded that
“These researchers … recommend that phonics teaching should be “carefully connected with the reading of whole texts” and include “a focus on reading for meaning, in all lessons.” The researchers also urge that explicit teaching of phonics should be given only to very young children (ages 5-6) during their first year of school, and that classroom time spent on phonics lessons should also be limited, so as not to stand in the way of teaching of comprehension strategies.”
The full article is available at Dyslexia The Gift Blog