The establishment of this
national objective and its demise is a good lesson in the limitations of setting education
policies without first assuring that those
policies can be realized, or at least that their attainment is within the
realm of possibility.
The debate between phonics and whole language entered the
national political
realm, resulting in
policy that some believed would resolve the so - called «reading wars» (Ravitch, 2000).
Because so many of the origins and consequences of childhood toxic stress lie beyond the boundaries of the clinical setting, pediatric providers are often called on to work collaboratively with parents, social workers, teachers, coaches, civic leaders,
policy makers, and other invested stakeholders to influence services that fall outside the traditional
realm of clinical practice.72 In many cases, these efforts extend even further afield, moving into the
realm of ecologically based, public health initiatives that address the precipitants of toxic stress at the community, state, and
national levels.