Low achievement in literacy correlates with high rates of school dropout, poverty, and underemployment. The far-reaching effects of literacy achievement have heightened the interest of educators and noneducators alike in the teaching of reading. As the goal is pursued of providing literacy instruction that is most likely to lead to high rates of achievement for all children, educators must be mindful of the critical lesson provided by investigations of the past and of the present: there is no single instructional program or method that is effective in teaching all children to read. Rather, successful efforts to improve reading achievement emphasize identification and implementation of evidence-based practices that promote high rates of achievement when used in classrooms by teachers with diverse instructional styles with children who have diverse instructional needs and interests. This position paper considers the following questions: What does the term evidence-based reading instruction mean? What is the difference between evidence-based programs and evidence-based practices? and What resources might be useful when examining evidence to support particular programs or practices? The paper lists large-scale, federally funded research reviews; edited handbooks; and research journals. It also makes several recommendations for teachers and administrators to ask when reviewing materials. (Contains 15 references.) (NKA)