Interest Groups in National Reading Policy: Perceived Influence and Beliefs on Teaching Reading. CIERA Report.

Drawing on interviews with 103 policy actors who are active in shaping national reading policy, a study examined the levels of interest groups' perceived influence in the national reading policy arena, and their beliefs on reading instructional approaches. Employing thematic analysis and analysis of variance, the study finds that the interest group community in the national reading policy arena is composed of groups with various levels of perceived influence. The study also reveals that those interest groups and policymakers show stronger support for a balanced approach than they do for phonics--or whole-language-only approaches to reading instruction. The findings from the study suggest that an assessment of various groups' influence is needed in order for policy actors to make sensible judgments when choosing policy allies or building coalitions for policy actions, and that a consensus about how reading should be taught has been emerging, or may already have emerged, in the national reading policy domain. (Contains 4 tables of data and 68 references.) (PM)