California education reformer Marion Joseph dies at 95

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marion Joseph, whose advocacy for phonics-based reading changed the way California children learned to read, has died. Family members say she died Thursday at 95. Joseph was a former top adviser to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Riles. She began her advocacy work when her grandson was having trouble reading. At the time, schools were applying a literacy theory called whole language approach, which uses literature as a teaching tool and emphasizes learning through the context of words. Joseph began compiling research that showed children learned better by breaking down words phonetically and sounding out the words. Her advocacy led state lawmakers to pass a bill that mandated the use of phonics in reading instruction.