Four Years On: Revisiting the Elephant in the Room

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Preface (2025)

This article revisits a debate I first engaged with in 2021, when Jeffrey Bowers claimed that “no one” had addressed the lack of improvement in England’s reading outcomes after more than a decade of mandated phonics. At the time, I challenged that assertion directly, pointing out that the real issue was not phonics itself but the way letter sounds were being taught.

 

Four years later, the same misunderstanding persists. By presenting this updated reflection alongside my original 2021 post, readers can see the continuity of my argument and recognize that the “elephant in the room” has been addressed for years — yet still ignored by those who prefer debate over solutions.

📌 Revisiting the “Elephant in the Room” Debate (2025)

Back in September 2021, Jeffrey Bowers tweeted:

 

“What do you make of the fact that reading outcomes in England have not improved in over a decade of legally mandated phonics? No one seems to address the Elephant in the room.”

 

Dr. Sam Bommarito quickly agreed:

 

“Yes this! By the way if England 10+ years of mandated phonics hasn’t had an impact, why on earth are we in the process of trying to mandate it in the United States?”

 

🔎 What They Missed Then — And Still Miss Now

I responded at the time (see my 2021post) and I’ll repeat it today:

 

The problem is not phonics itself.

 

The problem is how letter sounds are taught.

 

Teaching distorted consonant sounds (e.g., kuh-ah-tuh for cat instead of /c/ /a/ /t/) sets children up for failure.

 

Phonics only works when educators teach accurate letter-sound correspondences and explicit blending. Without that, outcomes stagnate — as England’s experience shows.

 

🧩 The Formula for Effective Phonics

Letter-sound skills

+

Blending ability

=

Basic phonics

This simple equation is the missing piece in the so-called “reading wars.” Yet neither Jeffrey Bowers nor Jennifer Buckingham has acknowledged it. Both continue debating phonics in the abstract, without addressing the practical missteps in classrooms worldwide.

 

⚔️ Why the Reading Wars Continue

Jeffrey Bowers claims no one has addressed the “elephant in the room.” That is false — I have been addressing it since 2010.

 

Jennifer Buckingham insists phonics should be taught but cannot explain why results remain flat.

 

Dr. Sam Bommarito, despite decades of teaching, echoes Jeffrey’s misunderstanding instead of recognizing the core issue.

 

The wars persist not because phonics is flawed, but because educators refuse to confront the way phonics is implemented.

 

✅ The Way Forward

Stop misrepresenting phonics as a failed method. Stop teaching distorted consonant sounds. Start teaching phonics correctly — and the reading wars will end.

 

As I wrote in 2021, and it remains true today: “A bad workman blames his tools.” Or, in Malay proverb form: “A man with two left feet blames the floor for being uneven when he cannot dance.”

 

Closing Note (2025)

My 2021 post challenged Jeffrey Bowers’ claim that “no one” had addressed the elephant in the room. Four years later, the facts remain unchanged: phonics is not failing because of the method itself, but because of the way letter sounds are taught.

 

By placing this 2025 reflection alongside my 2021 post, readers can see the continuity of my argument. What was true then is still true now — and the longer educators ignore the core issue, the longer children will continue to struggle unnecessarily.

 

The solution has always been within reach: teach letter sounds correctly, teach blending explicitly, and the reading wars can finally end.