I found this podcast from this 
post:
I subbed today for a 7th and 8th grade teacher. I’m not exaggerating when I say at least 50% of the students were at a 2nd grade reading level. The students were to spend the class time filling out an “all about me” worksheet, what’s your name, favorite color, favorite food etc. I was asked 20 times today “what is this word?”. Movie. Excited. Trait. “How do I spell race car driver?”
I've only listened to one episode so far, but it's really well produced, seems well-researched and very well put together.
From what I gather so far, the ways that the American public school system "teaches" kids how to read is not only completely wrong, but actually saddles them bad habits which fundamentally hinder their reading comprehension.
A huge swath of American adults are functionally illiterate, and I think I'm starting to understand why.
I hope you're right, but there were multiple interviews that I heard in the pod of parents who only realised their kid wasn't being taught how to read because of covid-19 lockdown remote school. They sat in on the lessons with them are were like "What the actual fuck? That's not how you learn how to read!!! My kid is illiterate!" So it clearly is still being practiced in some schools.
Yeah there's no way the scammers are letting go of their profit machine that easily. The whole "balanced literacy" half-measure allows teachers to keep using the guessing bullshit while doing phonics for like one day.