I may not be part of a broader culture wars, but it
is part of a resurgent reading wars (
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/to-move-past-the-re...). In the past, the two sides of the debate in reading instruction have been aligned with broader political identities in the US, with phonics and direct instruction on the right and whole language on the left. I'm not sure how the current reading trends track politically, but I'm reminded that curriculum and teaching are
part of the culture and politics, not in a vacuum.