Lucy Calkins/Fountas & Pinnell being sued for selling ineffective reading programs

[Anonymous]

Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

[Anonymous]

When's the IXL lawsuit dropping? If you think F&P are the only reading program that's exaggerated data to get into schools I have Trumpcoin to sell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When's the IXL lawsuit dropping? If you think F&P are the only reading program that's exaggerated data to get into schools I have Trumpcoin to sell you.

I don't think that. I hope this lawsuit is successful so they will all think twice about this kind of "deceptive practice" (from the lawsuit). Maybe it would prevent this from happening so often. Of course, teachers have known from day 1 that these programs don't work, but they were silenced. Maybe the districts should be sued too.

[Anonymous]

I think it's the educators who need to get sued. They should have known better than to buy a shit program with no phonics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

Clearly you’re not in FCPS. If you were, you’d know that no one has used Caulkins in years and that EVERYONE in the county is using Benchmark which has explicit phonics instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

Clearly you’re not in FCPS. If you were, you’d know that no one has used Caulkins in years and that EVERYONE in the county is using Benchmark which has explicit phonics instruction.

That is true this school year (24-25), and last year I think the switch to phonics was already underway even if the new curriculum hadn’t been purchased yet. But as recently as 22-23 it was the Wild West. My then 1st grader had a new teacher who did emphasize phonics and assigned short nightly worksheets for homework - but not all the teachers were on the same page. And if you have a kid who’s much older than current 3rd grade, they probably got the full “balanced literacy” treatment.

[Anonymous]

Guess who supplied most of the grant funding for Lucy Calkin’s “research” over the decades?

- the U.S. Department of Education, following its founding in 1980.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

Clearly you’re not in FCPS. If you were, you’d know that no one has used Caulkins in years and that EVERYONE in the county is using Benchmark which has explicit phonics instruction.

I'm in Fairfax, but haven't taught in 10 years, and my kids are all out of elementary. But I know those programs were used at least as recently as two years ago, and also that there is no such thing as "everyone" in fcps. Principals are never forced to do anything in terms of instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

Clearly you’re not in FCPS. If you were, you’d know that no one has used Caulkins in years and that EVERYONE in the county is using Benchmark which has explicit phonics instruction.

I'm in Fairfax, but haven't taught in 10 years, and my kids are all out of elementary. But I know those programs were used at least as recently as two years ago, and also that there is no such thing as "everyone" in fcps. Principals are never forced to do anything in terms of instruction.

Until this year, each school chose their own curriculum. My kid's school purchased a phonics/science of reading based curriculum a few years ago but kids in other FCPS schools were getting non-phonics based instruction as late as recently as last year.

The Virginia Literacy Act forces all school districts to purchase a science of reading based program from a list of options and it has to be used by all teachers. Benchmark isn't terrible and I do love how writing heavy it is! My 3rd graders writing has come so far in the last few months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the educators who need to get sued. They should have known better than to buy a shit program with no phonics.

This! There’s always gonna be crap out there to buy - it’s a free country. The people in charge should have had more sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the educators who need to get sued. They should have known better than to buy a shit program with no phonics.

And you should know that it isn’t educators who choose and do purchase curriculum. My colleagues and I basically went behind our admin’s back to teach phonics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents in Massachusetts are actually suing them. The crux of the argument is that 1-the reading programs they sold to school districts across the country don't work because there is no phonics component and 2-they KNEW the reading programs didn't work.

Doesn't Fairfax still use these programs? I was forced to when I was a teacher, and we would get into trouble if anyone found out we were teaching phonics (which many of us did in secret).

I wish Fairfax parents would sue them.

Clearly you’re not in FCPS. If you were, you’d know that no one has used Caulkins in years and that EVERYONE in the county is using Benchmark which has explicit phonics instruction.

That is true this school year (24-25), and last year I think the switch to phonics was already underway even if the new curriculum hadn’t been purchased yet. But as recently as 22-23 it was the Wild West. My then 1st grader had a new teacher who did emphasize phonics and assigned short nightly worksheets for homework - but not all the teachers were on the same page. And if you have a kid who’s much older than current 3rd grade, they probably got the full “balanced literacy” treatment.

2021-2022 was when the country introduced the Word Study and phonics lessons to lower elementary. Things were considerably more organized by 2022 (not the Wild West).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the educators who need to get sued. They should have known better than to buy a shit program with no phonics.

And you should know that it isn’t educators who choose and do purchase curriculum. My colleagues and I basically went behind our admin’s back to teach phonics.

Exactly this! No one program or curriculum is going to be perfect. Anyone who has taught in the classroom learns that very quickly. I used both of these systems as an mcps teacher but I also provided phonics instruction because it was needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the educators who need to get sued. They should have known better than to buy a shit program with no phonics.

And you should know that it isn’t educators who choose and do purchase curriculum. My colleagues and I basically went behind our admin’s back to teach phonics.

I think maybe PP confused admin with educators. A lot of people don't understand how little power teachers have. Also, the gaslighting was intense - after a decade of "balanced" literacy brainwashing, even I had started to think it was good, and I felt guilty when I taught phonics in secret.

[Anonymous]

I know these programs were used in our elementary school from 2015-2020. My child is dyslexic and I have the documentation.