Yes, I know there is conflicting testimony and confusing claims back and forth for the last 90 years.
One constant through all the stuff I’ve read is that most phonics experts state that 99% of children will learn to read in four or five months. By Christmas of the first year, basically. This is a huge accomplishment. Meanwhile, the sight-word experts have most of their students semi-literate into middle school.
If I had young children, I would not bet against this constant refrain, which is summed up in this short video called “Reading Is Easy.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JV0tPGn-Ws&t=5s
As for the actual studies, going back to 1900, my best estimation of the results is that the record is about 34 to 1 (phonics versus sight-words). In “Why Johnny Can’t Read” (1955), Flesch starts his research by getting all the studies before 1950. There were about a dozen and all declared phonics the victor. As far as I can tell, phonetic language has to be taught phonetically. The only reason America got into Whole Word is because it doesn’t work and that’s what our Progressives wanted.
I heard the same silly assertions about “Common Core (Singapore) Math.”
The trouble is Every. Single. Critic. I’ve heard either doesn’t understand what’s being accomplished, posits arbitrary differences as flaws, or has the old method so ingrained into their personality they erroneously believe its algorithms are self-evident.
I just told you the benefit of Sight Word instruction, but for some reason that doesn’t seem to count.
My daughter was reading “Junie B. Jones” when I was reading “Fun with Dick and Jane.” But if you prefer to rely on “studies” the same way the news media reports polls, far be it from me to rock your boat.