Reading & Literacy Video

Video: Why Are Parents Suing Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell?

By Stephen Sawchuk & Lauren Santucci — December 17, 2024 5:00
First grader Makai Parker practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C. The state of North Carolina is taking measures to improve reading rates in elementary schools, including this first grade classroom at Eastern Elementary in Washington, N.C.

Parents in Massachusetts have sued the creators and publishers of some of the most popular balanced-literacy curricula on the market, saying the materials hindered their children’s ability to learn to read.

But this new strategy in the “reading wars” has a longer history. It’s centered on one discrete teaching practice. Learn more in our latest explainer video.

Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
Lauren Santucci is a video producer for Education Week.

Video

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A ninth grader places her cellphone in to a phone holder as she enters class at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. At the rural Utah school, there is a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class. Each classroom has a cellphone storage unit that looks like an over-the-door shoe bag with three dozen smartphone-sized slots.
Rick Bowmer/AP
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