Research has demonstrated that the acquisition of English literacy skills is extremely difficult for many deaf students, that is, students with severe to profound hearing impairments. As a result, there has been a call for the development of bilingual and English-as-a-second-language programs for this population. This research review addresses three of the major issues related to this movement: (1) the nature and development of second language literacy, (2) the notion of a best method, and (3) the "practicality" of teaching English literacy skills to deaf students. The paper emphasizes that literacy in English as a first or second language is an interactive process that requires the development and coordination of both word-identification and comprehension skills. The paper concludes that, if English literacy is to be taught to deaf students, the focus should be on the common elements across theories and research, rather than on the selection of a particular theory or even a particular instructional method. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/DB)