The teaching of reading should encompass a balance of teaching strategies including a systematic approach to phonicsand other word reading strategies, and a significant emphasis on children experiencing a wide range of texts, including moving image and digital - all available to read from the very beginning.
After all, it was California that 11 years ago threw out the tried-and-true reading method known as phonics for a new, faddish method called whole language.
There are certainly people who fall into different camps on certain issues, for example people who want to use pay for performance based on test scores, school-choice advocates, people who think reading should be taught by using phonics, people who think there should be no homework, and on and on and on.