The surprising obstacle to rethinking the way children learn to read

As New York embarks on an ambitious plan to overhaul the way children learn to read in the nation’s largest school system, school leaders face a major obstacle: educator skepticism.

Dozens of cities and states have attempted to transform reading education in recent years, driven by decades of research known as the “science of reading.” But the success of their efforts depends in part on whether school leaders are prepared to embrace a seismic shift in their philosophy about how children learn.

Already in New York City, the rollout has frustrated clients. The school’s chancellor, David C. Banks, is forcing schools to abandon strategies he says are the main reason half of students in grades three to eight are reading poorly.

But principals will lose control of selecting reading programs in their schools, and their union has criticized the speed of change. And many educators still believe in “balanced literacy,” a popular approach that aims to foster a love of books through independent reading time, but which experts and the chancellor say enough is missing focus on basic skills.

Whether schools ultimately embrace or resist the pressures of the city will help shape the legacy of the Chancellor’s campaign: Will New York’s plan fall victim to the pendulum swings that come with each new administration? Or will it be a turning point in the reading wars?

“The linchpin is the principal and the assistant principal,” says Wiley Blevins, an early reading specialist who has helped train local teachers. “They understand what’s happening, are well trained and have buy-in.”

He added, “If you don’t have that, it’s going to fail.”

The tensions in New York echo those other cities have faced as they tried to adopt the science of reading. Leaders across the country have learned that they must balance action and urgency to address a national reading crisis, and take the time to convince principals and teachers to rethink deeply held beliefs.

“You are fundamentally asking people to change their identities,” says Aaron Bouie III, who oversees core curriculum in a suburban community in Ohio it has been revision of the reading instruction of the past three years.

Yet Mr. Bouie’s district and others around the country have proven that early frustrations can be overcome.

Districts that have previously reviewed reading education have outlined rationales for change, but also limited expectations of rapid progress, leaders said. They brought experienced teachers on board early and relied on their influence to persuade others. And they said they had painstakingly crafted messages for principals, teachers and families.

“I always say my first two years were PR,” says Kymyona Burk, the former state literacy director in Mississippi, where reading scores have risen from the worst to the most improved in the country.

“It’s all about transparency,” she said, “even if you don’t have all the answers.”

In New York City, nearly all elementary schools will adopt one of three reading curricula chosen by local district superintendents over the next two years. For some New York school leaders, the way they first learned about the plan — sometimes on district-wide Zoom calls — was a sticking point.

A survey of school leaders last month showed that three out of four school leaders are disappointed with the rollout.

“How do you build that trust?” said Henry Rubio, the head of the union. “Don’t know.”

When the city requires all primary schools Nina Demos, the director of PS 503 in Sunset Park, said she “really appreciated” the decision and balance of “autonomy, agency and cohesion” of the rollout last fall.

The school taught phonetics in addition to a popular, balanced literacy curriculum that the city no longer allows. Now that she’s being asked to adopt a new program, Into Reading, Ms. Demos said she’s still short on information.

“I’m just wondering, ‘Where’s the data-driven evidence that this is the best option?'” said Ms Demos, adding that she’s only learned that Into Reading high marks of one national curriculum review group.

Ms. Demos is also frustrated by the early turbulence of the rollout: In March, she was told that schools would be allowed to keep the writing units they used, she said. But last week she was told that the writing components of Into Reading should be adopted instead.

“Every time I start planning,” she said, “my schedule is changing.”

Mr. Banks, himself a Bronx executive in the 2000s, said he empathizes with the frustrations.

“I understand. But I also look at the data,” Mr. Banks said, adding, “The system has already provided some degree of autonomy — and it hasn’t worked.”

About half of all districts will introduce new curricula in September. Teachers started virtual professional development this month, with training expected to ramp up over the summer. All schools will be offered at least a 26-day educator program, officials said.

In districts where the transition will be more drastic and may face more opposition — such as Manhattan’s District 2, which includes TriBeCa, Chelsea and the Upper East Side — the department has allowed an additional year to implement the change.

Kevyn Bowles, the director of PS 532 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which takes a balanced literacy approach, said there was too little transparency in the process by which the city chose its three curriculum options.

Clients in his district expect to be asked to adopt Into Reading in two years’ time. But Mr. Bowles is concerned that the program is already being used in some nearby schools where many children are struggling.

“How can this be better?” he asked, adding, “I’m not confident. But it will really depend on superintendents and other district leaders to be meaningful.”

Not everyone needs to be convinced.

Many teachers in New York have said they need better teaching materials and have done so advocated a more centralized approach to the curriculum. Crucially, their union also supports the move. And many local parents – especially those whose children have dyslexia – have been outspoken about the need for change.

Some clients, such as Joanna Cohen, had already reconsidered their approach.

She used to be “almost evangelical about balanced literacy,” she said, as someone who had a passion for reading and writing as a child. But in 2019, “her foundation was on its foundations” when she read for the first time about how popular reading strategies are deviate from scientific research.

Since becoming principal of P.S. 107 in Park Slope, a balanced literacy school, she has has resulted in more teachers being trained in the science of reading. It hasn’t always been easy.

Since scores were generally high — nearly 80 percent of students pass state exams — “we just got used to it” that some students couldn’t read well, Ms. Cohen said. But “the momentum has been building,” she said. “And right now I don’t feel any resistance.”

Even after teachers are convinced, other obstacles can hinder progress.

A lot of colleges still teach flawed strategies such as encouraging children to guess words using picture clues. And teachers often worry about the quality of training in the new approaches offered by outside organizations.

The city will also need to monitor the schools’ progress in adopting the new curricula.

“You don’t want to turn classrooms into a supervised state, but you also don’t want to end up in a situation where books sit on the shelf and aren’t used,” says Morgan Polikoff, a curriculum expert who has studied New York. York’s approach.

Some states like Colorado And Arkansas have taken strict – and sometimes unpopular – approaches to oversight with more robust plans for enforcement. Others relied on looser incentives and encouragements.

But even if general support is high, school agreement is crucial in determining whether individual classrooms will ultimately make substantial changes.

“There are quite a few clients I know who say: ‘I do what I have come to believe over the years. Full stop,” Lucy Calkins, a leader in balanced literacy, told teachers at a Teachers College event in March. “You can say no. And people all over the country are doing that.”

Still, she added: “If your kids aren’t growing, you need to change your education.”