The school system in which I teach uses a word memorization program. There is also very little grammar instruction. The results: Classrooms full of functioning illiterates. We will never deviate from the reading program because it is entirely scripted. The teacher does nothing except make photo copies. There is very little grading because the focus is on group dynamics and students helping each other (i.e. the smart kid does all the work).
My sainted mother was a former educator. She taught me phonics. I read before I was 2.
She insisted I have end of career teachers in grade school. They taught sentence diagramming and hard core grammar.
I also had to take Latin, but I had started learning languages at about age 5.
I recommend all these practices to any educator/parent reading this post.
I am living proof that all this stuff works.
Re your post #5, no wonder our schools are turning out illiterates. I was taught to read the correct way beginning in the first grade in 1946 and the instruction laid the groundwork for my reading comprehension throughout my education.
I’ll bet your school’s graduates do little to no independent reading in adulthood (too difficult having to memorize all those words!).