NOTE: In the early years (1980s) only one English-language paper featured a story about the PWP program–and that story appeared in a community paper. It dealt with PWP’s early community sponsor, the Uptown Chicago Commission. UCC donated books for the Truman College classroom development process and later umbrella-ed the grant request from the Government of Puerto Rico’s Community Affairs group to Budget Rent A Car. Success!By contrast, foreign-language groups are still interested in the simplification of phonetics as exemplified by PWP. Although the computer has identified over 1,100 ways by which to write the 40 basic sounds of English, the educational establishment is sold on “sound-out” and has not attempted to simplify that rules-and-memory system. Foreign nationals don’t like the guesswork that’s inherent in “sound-out” (what is the “proper” sound of o-u-g-h according to rules?). Many of their languages are absolutely specific in sound/spelling matches. For instance, in Spanish, only 6 sounds for 6 vowels; in English, 19 sounds for the same six vowels (A-E-I-O-U-Y plus the artificial schwa).
Underlying this problem is the acknowledgment by the US military language schools that English is alone in a fifth (worst) category of language difficulty. It’s not and needn’t be. English language grammar is simple (because it does not assign genders to gender-less things and so needn’t decline verbs in many arbitrary-standard) ways.
English phonetic rules are the problem, not the solution, when seeking to use a language that was accreted over many centuries and under several invaders. English grammar today contains smatterings of several useless throw-backs from various European languages. . . inconsistency between spelling and pronunciation is one of the very worst aspects of those borrowings.
The overall learning problem with English is not slang alone (which is a contributor to difficulties) but also the fact that Americans don’t use many grammatical function words that we teach to all learners (American-born and foreigner). They then can’t recognize language-function because they can’t see or hear the missing function words.
For instance: “She said (that) she went home.” Few Americans would use the word “that” in that circumstance; yet “that” should indicate a subordinate clause. But the ESL students also learn that one proper sentence does not contain two subjects and two verbs: she said and she went. So our teaching methods do not match immigrant-students’ public experience. No wonder students are failing. We deserve but cannot afford the language problems that are rife in our nation today.
Cavalier attempted to provide corrections of our simple language via volunteer tutors– who don’t already know that simplification is not possible, as certificated teachers already know. Teachers who have never themselves been language handicapped can categorize their students’ problems (this person needs verbs; that one needs adjectives; the other one. . .) but cannot understand those problems. So they teach as they learned: sound-out.
Now, 25 years after it was developed, PWP enjoys findings (published by a Milanese university study re: dyslexia) that support his original ideas and program; see Science Journal for March 16, 2001 (two articles, by E. Paulesu et al; and L. Helmuth). Both articles have been summarized briefly in the Psychiatry Journal (see button), but it’s wise to see the original, which is cited by Psychiatry.
Cavalier has also spoken to two literacy groups (see button) in California, but his ideas were resisted even though the Science Journal articles support his early 1980's conclusions: English-learning can be simplified!
The dictionary indicates all the 40 key sounds with only 46 codes in the paperback books used–and those address the one (or two) accepted pronunciations very specifically. PWP teaches those codes. . .and a whole lot more practical knowledge. PWP is user-friendly!
Once the dictionary codes are mastered, the teen/adult learner can pronounce every word in the dictionary acceptably-to-perfectly.
In daily use, the learner seeks any needed term (for original use, when not already found in print) in his/her own language’s bilingual dictionary, finds the English spelling there, and then can pronounce that word correctly from our book. . .without asking friends or teachers, “How do you say this word?” Friends aren’t always correct, and teachers aren’t always available. On completion of the course, learners enjoy immediate independence and confidence with a skill that lasts a lifetime!
PWP also holds the California Certificate of Compliance; so it’s legal to teach there. Also, it has been computer-listed by the New York City Dept of Education as an approved book (see the “CA & NYC Depts of Education” button).
Your community organization or corporation can benefit from this book/program, both as an aid to individuals and as a boon to the surrounding community if sponsored. For immediate assistance with specific promotional approaches for your specific purposes, simply read the “User Helps” materials (see button). Chose. Then use these models intact or varied, as your needs dictate. 
Total book costs, about $100 retail (in 2010) for one PWP and 11 American Heritage dictionaries (tutor plus 10 learners). Classroom needs: learners, books, and chalkboard plus a writing table. Any person who speaks/reads/ writes standard American-English can tutor, because PWP is a self-help tutor’s script and workbook. If only accented bilinguals tutors are available to work with students who don’t comprehend basics, then a tutor’s assistant who speaks standard-American English should assist and handle the chalkboard and sound-modeling sequences. All needed script, drills, and discussion materials are provided or stipulated (including newspapers and a few photocopied book pages for distribution/discussion).
Truman College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, was an early user, as was St Augustine College (seethe funding requests and certificates on buttons below).
For CA & NYC Depts. of Education see "Recognition" button and its base buttons.
You might be able to read only one or two of the program stories reprinted under “Clips” (see button), but you can be sure that PWP has been tested and proved in both classroom and community. Use it with confidence!