JD Busch:

First up, and arguably the most critical, are the reading wars. This topic shouldn’t be political, but welcome to 2025.

Expecting your child to learn to read in school shouldn’t be revolutionary, but don’t take it for granted in K-6.

I’ve watched two of my kids struggle through this nightmare at a fancy North Side Chicago private school. And just this weekend, I caught up with another family (an old friend from childhood) dealing with the same circus at a different North Side institution.

It’s a problem. And no number of Instagram-worthy reading nooks will fix it. Nobody cares about cute pillows if your kid can’t read the books on them.

If the school says phonics is “too rigid” or claims it’s outdated, they’re either uninformed or choosing ideology over proven science. Phonics isn’t rigid— it’s effective.

Here’s what to ask when touring schools:

‍Ask: “What’s your reading program?”‍

Good answer: Wilson or Orton-Gillingham (or something similar that is battle-proven).

Red flag: “Balanced literacy,” “whole Language”, “site reading,” or anything other than phonics (translation: your kid may need expensive tutoring).

‍Ask: “How do you track reading progress?”