I uploaded it into my google drive and put anyone with the link should be able to read it.
Newkirk, T. 2024. The Broken Logic of "Sold a Story": A Personal Response to "The Science of Reading." Resources section of htpps:// literacyresearchcommons.org
I think it would be helpful to hear from a current or prior school board member. The job of a school board member is often misunderstood and even in this article there are many ideas shared that are not in the purview of the board.In addition, school board members have no individual power so understanding the structure can help you to appreciate how work gets done in this unique setting.
I would agree that hearing from a school board member is helpful. You are correct in that curriculum decisions are not the direct role of the school board. The role of the school board is to be the community’s representative body advising the school. I spoke with a colleague of mine today who has been on his local school board for 7 years. He and I are both educators so he understands the intricacies of the education system but also acutely understands his more broad, much less heavy-handed role as a school board member. While his role and the role of the board as a collective entity doesn’t directly decide on matters of curriculum, they do inform the 5 year plan of the district, appropriate the budget, and advise the school administration on matters important to the community, among other things. They also hear from the superintendent and his or her cabinet on the progress or regression that the district’s data have made to support informing the appropriation of the budget. Any of these actions can spark an opportunity for the school board to ask for a report or briefing from the superintendent as to how the school is addressing the concern, especially if there is data reflecting an impact on the district’s 5 year plan. For example, say the board received a briefing from the curriculum director on their reading and math data, and there were some trends in the data that were concerning related to meeting their 5 year plan goals. The board could request that the superintendent describe how the district and schools are addressing the problem. That shows the appropriate roles for both the district leaders and the school board members. When issues like this present themselves, it is a good rule of thumb to either write the school principal or superintendent with the concern or use the community comment time to bring it to the board and the superintendent’s attention. There are many avenues for community members to be engaged. Hope these suggestions help others to be able to engage with their local school district.
I would caution everyone about listening to the podcast Sold A Story. It is a very compelling podcast however it has a lot of misinformation and oversimplification of the teaching of early literacy.
Sadly, this podcast and the wave of social media following the Science of Reading movement has created quite a band wagon explosion across the United States with legislatures writing fairly strict laws around what is deemed the "Science of Reading". There are many experts at the research level and experts that teach early literacy on the ground that have many concerns about what is currently happening to literacy instruction. This is a very nuanced topic that needs a lot of care and research to develop a well rounded understanding of the issues here.
Sadly as a result of the podcast, the powerful social movement , legislators writing acts and laws, and probably the polarizing nature of the media, the school district that I currently work in has made sweeping and fast paced changes. Many literacy experts in my district have lost our current roles and were reassigned to other positions we were licensed for in an effort to try and eradicate our experience and expertise so that this new and narrow way of thinking can replace what is deemed an "antiquated" way of thinking. Fourteen of the intervention teachers that I worked alongside were placed on unrequested leaves of absence due to the cut of a program our district has had for 30 years being replaced by a yet to be determined portfolio of literacy interventions even though, our data is very strong at showing amazing acceleration with students. There is and always will be urgency in making sure that every child can read. The goal is to create children who consider themselves readers and can read critically in this world where any information can be put out into the world. Everything needs to be vetted carefully because information, false information, oversimplified information, can be put out into this world and make a devastating impact. Next year, approximately, 280 of our most emergent first graders will no longer receive a 1 to 1 intervention. These are children of color, children of high poverty, multilingual and immigrant children who really needed support that will not get that same level of support. If you are interested in learning more, there is a group that formed last year as a response to the Science of Reading Movement called the International Literacy Education Coalition (ILEC). Here is the website. https://www.literacyedcoalition.org/. The amount of devastation that has happened as a result of the podcast, legislation, social media, lack of true research and scholarship and the current level of polarization within our country has caused is utterly heart breaking. In the last several years, I have seen it all at the ground level.
These final school days will put an end to my career as an intervention teacher. Next year, I will return to the classroom as a 3rd grade teacher. I am excited to do so and not burned out from a career 30 years in the making. I will take all of my knowledge and expertise with me, continue to learn and grow and be challenged, incorporate new thinking and expertise into my toolbox and carry on to delight in the learning of children. If you hear anything from this message it is this: Do not get "sold the story" that podcast tells you. If this is a topic that is very dear to your heart, take the time to read and dig in and seek out the much needed and nuanced story that is really out there.
I’d welcome a conversation about this with you. I have worked in education for a long time and have seen the significant impact reaching explicit and systematic phonics instruction instead of a three cueing model has had on students in early grade levels. So I would be very interested in having a grace filled discussion about this topic if you’d be interested.
And I am so very sorry for how your school district has responded to addressing literacy. Staff cuts should never be the answer in a field where we have so many shortages to begin with. A conversation that leads to elevating the benefits of all types of evidence-based literacy instruction should be the output districts should have.
HI Beth, I agree in the importance of phonics and believe it is important to continue to keep dialogue going including many perspectives and experiences. There is a lot of misinformation around three cueing and when school is out I hope to create some sort of webcast or document around the cueing controversy. For now, I need time to finish the school year, and take some time to rest. Perhaps some time this summer, we could connect and chat.
So important to keep track of local elections and do your homework! 🗳️📖
My most recent professional position was in education communications for a school that worked with disadvantaged youth. Learned A TON!!!!! Happy to not be doing it anymore but I keep my finger on the pulse. I stay silent a lot, but do my part to help kids as best I can in the community. 👦👧
I heard once education politics is harder than regular politics. Now that I have lived through COVID and the 2020 elections and beyond, I can say that is "beyond true." I didn't find COVID nearly as hard as my job was from 2018-early 2020😃🏫
Thank you, educators for all you do for kids! You have a "forever fan" in me! I will continue to set an example and do my part for a generation who needs us ♥️
Education politics is definitely difficult and mainly I think because it is so personal and very present and current in people’s lives. Whereas regular politics is often two-five steps removed from our daily lives.
Another teacher here - I think something worth bringing up to school boards is systems and structures they are utilizing to support teacher planning and collaboration. Are they able to stack preps so that teachers of the same grade level and/or content areas are aligned at least once per month to facilitate collaborative conversations during the school day? Is coverage available if a teacher would benefit from an observation period (perhaps to see a strategy put to use by a colleague or to check on a student who is struggling in their class but may be succeeding elsewhere)? Well supported teachers work hard, drive excellent results, and STAY in the classroom.
I love this suggestion! Collective teacher efficacy which is the result of these active collaborations is so very effective on improving outcomes at the level of the student desk!
I agree with this completely. I taught for a year and quit (love what I'm doing now), but a big reason I didn't go back for that second year was the lack of support.
Thank you Beth and Sarah for sharing my email. I hope it is useful for both of you and your listeners! I realized I didn’t put my full name and contact information in it. :(. Here is that if anyone has questions about the topics:
As a lifelong educator and current school board president in a district of 13,000 students, I LOVED reading this. It is all fantastic advice. I would add one more to the list: understand what your district is doing to diversify course offerings and pathways to prepare students for post-secondary success. The district mission, vision and strategic plan should all speak to helping students understand their strengths and interests, and it starts with conversations as early as kindergarten. Students should be experiencing career awareness, exploration and experiences throughout their K-12 education.
Oh my Gosh Katie! I love this! One of my passions in addition the MTSS work I stated in the email is secondary transition. I totally agree that a focus on the career development model is essential PK-12!
Here is a link to a recent article written by Thomas Newkirk.
University of New Hampshire, Emeritus
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KKlH_z79aJAE1ORO5ch_zkjY4gQD0ax8/view?usp=sharing
I uploaded it into my google drive and put anyone with the link should be able to read it.
Newkirk, T. 2024. The Broken Logic of "Sold a Story": A Personal Response to "The Science of Reading." Resources section of htpps:// literacyresearchcommons.org
Wow! Thank you for the excellent suggestion and resources.
I think it would be helpful to hear from a current or prior school board member. The job of a school board member is often misunderstood and even in this article there are many ideas shared that are not in the purview of the board.In addition, school board members have no individual power so understanding the structure can help you to appreciate how work gets done in this unique setting.
I would agree that hearing from a school board member is helpful. You are correct in that curriculum decisions are not the direct role of the school board. The role of the school board is to be the community’s representative body advising the school. I spoke with a colleague of mine today who has been on his local school board for 7 years. He and I are both educators so he understands the intricacies of the education system but also acutely understands his more broad, much less heavy-handed role as a school board member. While his role and the role of the board as a collective entity doesn’t directly decide on matters of curriculum, they do inform the 5 year plan of the district, appropriate the budget, and advise the school administration on matters important to the community, among other things. They also hear from the superintendent and his or her cabinet on the progress or regression that the district’s data have made to support informing the appropriation of the budget. Any of these actions can spark an opportunity for the school board to ask for a report or briefing from the superintendent as to how the school is addressing the concern, especially if there is data reflecting an impact on the district’s 5 year plan. For example, say the board received a briefing from the curriculum director on their reading and math data, and there were some trends in the data that were concerning related to meeting their 5 year plan goals. The board could request that the superintendent describe how the district and schools are addressing the problem. That shows the appropriate roles for both the district leaders and the school board members. When issues like this present themselves, it is a good rule of thumb to either write the school principal or superintendent with the concern or use the community comment time to bring it to the board and the superintendent’s attention. There are many avenues for community members to be engaged. Hope these suggestions help others to be able to engage with their local school district.
We have a great conversation with a former Florida School Board member on our Premium Channels on Patreon and Apple!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/school-safety-84810165?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
I would caution everyone about listening to the podcast Sold A Story. It is a very compelling podcast however it has a lot of misinformation and oversimplification of the teaching of early literacy.
Sadly, this podcast and the wave of social media following the Science of Reading movement has created quite a band wagon explosion across the United States with legislatures writing fairly strict laws around what is deemed the "Science of Reading". There are many experts at the research level and experts that teach early literacy on the ground that have many concerns about what is currently happening to literacy instruction. This is a very nuanced topic that needs a lot of care and research to develop a well rounded understanding of the issues here.
Sadly as a result of the podcast, the powerful social movement , legislators writing acts and laws, and probably the polarizing nature of the media, the school district that I currently work in has made sweeping and fast paced changes. Many literacy experts in my district have lost our current roles and were reassigned to other positions we were licensed for in an effort to try and eradicate our experience and expertise so that this new and narrow way of thinking can replace what is deemed an "antiquated" way of thinking. Fourteen of the intervention teachers that I worked alongside were placed on unrequested leaves of absence due to the cut of a program our district has had for 30 years being replaced by a yet to be determined portfolio of literacy interventions even though, our data is very strong at showing amazing acceleration with students. There is and always will be urgency in making sure that every child can read. The goal is to create children who consider themselves readers and can read critically in this world where any information can be put out into the world. Everything needs to be vetted carefully because information, false information, oversimplified information, can be put out into this world and make a devastating impact. Next year, approximately, 280 of our most emergent first graders will no longer receive a 1 to 1 intervention. These are children of color, children of high poverty, multilingual and immigrant children who really needed support that will not get that same level of support. If you are interested in learning more, there is a group that formed last year as a response to the Science of Reading Movement called the International Literacy Education Coalition (ILEC). Here is the website. https://www.literacyedcoalition.org/. The amount of devastation that has happened as a result of the podcast, legislation, social media, lack of true research and scholarship and the current level of polarization within our country has caused is utterly heart breaking. In the last several years, I have seen it all at the ground level.
These final school days will put an end to my career as an intervention teacher. Next year, I will return to the classroom as a 3rd grade teacher. I am excited to do so and not burned out from a career 30 years in the making. I will take all of my knowledge and expertise with me, continue to learn and grow and be challenged, incorporate new thinking and expertise into my toolbox and carry on to delight in the learning of children. If you hear anything from this message it is this: Do not get "sold the story" that podcast tells you. If this is a topic that is very dear to your heart, take the time to read and dig in and seek out the much needed and nuanced story that is really out there.
Sincerely,
Nicole Tschohl
Early Literacy Acquisition Intervention Teacher
Minnesota
I’d welcome a conversation about this with you. I have worked in education for a long time and have seen the significant impact reaching explicit and systematic phonics instruction instead of a three cueing model has had on students in early grade levels. So I would be very interested in having a grace filled discussion about this topic if you’d be interested.
And I am so very sorry for how your school district has responded to addressing literacy. Staff cuts should never be the answer in a field where we have so many shortages to begin with. A conversation that leads to elevating the benefits of all types of evidence-based literacy instruction should be the output districts should have.
HI Beth, I agree in the importance of phonics and believe it is important to continue to keep dialogue going including many perspectives and experiences. There is a lot of misinformation around three cueing and when school is out I hope to create some sort of webcast or document around the cueing controversy. For now, I need time to finish the school year, and take some time to rest. Perhaps some time this summer, we could connect and chat.
This is so well written! Thanks for sharing!! 🥰
So important to keep track of local elections and do your homework! 🗳️📖
My most recent professional position was in education communications for a school that worked with disadvantaged youth. Learned A TON!!!!! Happy to not be doing it anymore but I keep my finger on the pulse. I stay silent a lot, but do my part to help kids as best I can in the community. 👦👧
I heard once education politics is harder than regular politics. Now that I have lived through COVID and the 2020 elections and beyond, I can say that is "beyond true." I didn't find COVID nearly as hard as my job was from 2018-early 2020😃🏫
Thank you, educators for all you do for kids! You have a "forever fan" in me! I will continue to set an example and do my part for a generation who needs us ♥️
Education politics is definitely difficult and mainly I think because it is so personal and very present and current in people’s lives. Whereas regular politics is often two-five steps removed from our daily lives.
Beth: Nice perspective....I am writing that down. Thank you! ♥️
The Pantsuit Politics community is awesome 😎
Absenteeism is the biggest issue I deal with. I teach at a Title 1 high school and have at least 20% of my students who struggle with attendance.
It has become such a huge concern and was just more visible during and after the pandemic!
Another teacher here - I think something worth bringing up to school boards is systems and structures they are utilizing to support teacher planning and collaboration. Are they able to stack preps so that teachers of the same grade level and/or content areas are aligned at least once per month to facilitate collaborative conversations during the school day? Is coverage available if a teacher would benefit from an observation period (perhaps to see a strategy put to use by a colleague or to check on a student who is struggling in their class but may be succeeding elsewhere)? Well supported teachers work hard, drive excellent results, and STAY in the classroom.
I love this suggestion! Collective teacher efficacy which is the result of these active collaborations is so very effective on improving outcomes at the level of the student desk!
I agree with this completely. I taught for a year and quit (love what I'm doing now), but a big reason I didn't go back for that second year was the lack of support.
Thank you Beth and Sarah for sharing my email. I hope it is useful for both of you and your listeners! I realized I didn’t put my full name and contact information in it. :(. Here is that if anyone has questions about the topics:
Beth Clavenna-Deane,PhD
bclaven@wested.org.
As a lifelong educator and current school board president in a district of 13,000 students, I LOVED reading this. It is all fantastic advice. I would add one more to the list: understand what your district is doing to diversify course offerings and pathways to prepare students for post-secondary success. The district mission, vision and strategic plan should all speak to helping students understand their strengths and interests, and it starts with conversations as early as kindergarten. Students should be experiencing career awareness, exploration and experiences throughout their K-12 education.
Oh my Gosh Katie! I love this! One of my passions in addition the MTSS work I stated in the email is secondary transition. I totally agree that a focus on the career development model is essential PK-12!