ABSTRACT
For many academics the question of when children need to begin to learn to read – particularly for disadvantaged children – is long settled, with any remaining disagreement confined to those on the fringes of science, with fuzzy “philosophical” research interests and questionable logical faculties of thought. Indeed, if truth were decided by ballot, the victory would be utterly resounding for those arguing for early reading instruction in kindergarten and preschool. Thus, the question is scarcely investigated in empirical reports, and governments the world over lower school entry ages and implement reading standards and instruction ever earlier.
