The conclusions and recommendations drawn from a 7-year study of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i/t/a) made by the Reading Research Unit of London University are reported. The British research showed conclusively that traditional orthography (TO) is a major handicap for teachers and students of reading. Students taught with i/t/a made significantly greater progress in beginning reading and writing than did TO students. The proposed optimum solution to this problem is the correction of defects in traditional English orthography; research on the practicality of such reform is suggested. The proposed immediate solution is wider use of i/t/a. However, caution is advocated to insure the selection of meritorious ideas and materials which do not sacrifice basic educational values. Although i/t/a is a definite improvement, it needs refinement; additional research is recommended. References are listed. (BS)