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Teachers College, Columbia U. dissolves program behind literacy curriculum used in NYC public schools
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 8, 2023
Modified Sep 9, 2023
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Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Sep 8, 2023
Modified Sep 9, 2023
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The once-revered Columbia University program behind a flawed literacy curriculum used in New York City schools will be “dissolved,” the university announced.
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project’s founder, literacy scholar Lucy Calkins, will also go on sabbatical for the coming academic year. Teachers College quietly released the news last Friday, ahead of Labor Day weekend.
Moving forward, the university said, Teachers College “will ensure that its professional development programs are informed by the latest research and evidence.”
The curriculum, called Units of Study, came under fierce criticism in recent years for glossing over the fundamental building blocks of reading while teaching students’ problematic strategies like guessing at words. Research found the techniques could make learning to read more difficult and frustrating for many students, especially those with dyslexia or other learning challenges.
This week, Schools Chancellor David Banks said the Teachers College curriculum “has failed our students.” He’s ordered all schools phase out use of the curriculum in favor of other methods he says follow the science of reading.
In an email to Gothamist, Calkins acknowledged her sabbatical “was certainly influenced by NYC’s decision to mandate that schools abandon all the good work that teachers have learned to do – and all the questions they want to pursue — in order to implement a one-size-fits-all basal reading program.”
The embattled academic defended her work.
“I stand by what I have said often: In every corner of the city, some of the highest achieving schools are those using the Units of Study and have been partnering with the Reading and Writing Project,” she said.
Banks often invokes city students’ poor reading test scores as proof that the previous approach was not working. Citywide, he says, just over half of students are not reading at grade level, including 64% of Black students and 63% of Latino students.
“Our teachers have been criticized … but I think we gave them the wrong playbook for how to teach children to read,” Banks said.
An investigation by Chalkbeat New York earlier this year found that hundreds of schools had recently used Calkins' curriculum.
Literacy experts said the success of new reading curricula will depend on how well teachers are re-trained.
Scientists and journalists have recently zeroed in on the problems with Calkins’ curriculum. A podcast, Sold A Story, lit a fire among parents concerned about the way so many children were being taught to read.
“There are generations of families that were not taught to read and who weren’t able to live up to their potential – so hopefully we’re ending that,” said Debbie Meyer of the Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children.
In its announcement, Columbia emphasized the positive contributions of Calkins and her team. “Many teachers credit TCRWP for creating communities of practice where teachers gain valuable resources and support,” said Teachers College Dean KerryAnn O’Meara. “TC is grateful to Dr. Calkins for her service.”
Calkins said she’s launched a website, Rebalancing Literacy, “to support civil conversations about different perspectives in the field of early reading.”
The headline has been updated to clarify that Teachers College, Columbia University is dissolving the program.
Correction: The headline has been updated to correct the spelling of Teachers College.
Tagged
new york city
education
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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