Lucy Wilde, a professor at Columbia University, has long been a controversial figure in education about her approach to teaching reading. Her enthusiastic and anticipated new curriculum aimed to address critics with a more research-backed phonics-based approach to literacy.
However, the curriculum faced new challenges. This has been involved in the debate over state law that limits the teaching of race, gender, and other identities.
Heineman, a division of her publisher Houghton Mifflin Hercourt, decides to stop publishing the kindergarten through a sophomore curriculum known as the “learning unit” after an internal debate on basic questions. Did.
The decision to stop publishing can also affect a quarter of primary schools in the country. And it shows the counter-pressure facing educational publishers. On the other hand, right-wing laws that limit the curriculum. Meanwhile, progressive educators are pressured to create materials that more clearly address race, gender, and other forms of identity.
Heineman and Professor Kalkins said a focus group with conservative state educators could violate curriculum laws currently in force in more than 15 states, including Florida and Texas. I was worried.
According to some sources, examples of content that caused concern include suggesting teachers not to create groups of boys and girls during class, or educators paying attention to the racial background and identity of their children. It also included a reference to pay for. Those who have sought to remain anonymous due to subject sensitivity. The phrase BIPOC, an acronym for black, indigenous and colored races, was also flagged.
The publisher and Professor Calkins’ team are planning to begin editing the material and make a limited number of changes to avoid violating state law, Professor Calkins said last week with educators in the network. Said at an online conference. Other major publishers do the same.
However, the process was abandoned in protests from other authors of the Heineman list who questioned whether such revisions would be most useful to a diverse group of students.
Among the authors away from Heineman is Sonya Cherry Paul, co-founder of the Institute for Racial Fairness in Literacy. For another publisher, she adapted the best-selling young adult book “Stamp: Racism, Unflyism and You” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendy to the children’s edition “Stamp (Children’s)”. rice field.
In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday, Dr. Cherry Paul and her institute co-founder Tricia Evalvia said: I have written“Due to irreconcilable differences in fairness, inclusion and anti-racist work, it will take effect immediately and end professional development and publishing relationships with Heineman.”
Dr. Cherry-Paul was responsible for the diversity and impartiality of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, an organization led by Professor Calkins at Columbia University. Dr. Cherry Paul resigned from that position in May and his work is still unfilled.
In a July 7 email received by the New York Times, Vicki Boyd, then general manager of the publisher, described the editing process as “essentially flawed, at best, Heinemann’s deep-seated values. Violates. “
Regarding the protests among Heineman’s authors, she writes: “We met one-on-one with members of the author community last week and listened to their questions and concerns.”
According to the company, Mr. Boyd is currently leaving Heineman.
In a written statement, Heineman continued to promise to publish a new Culkins curriculum later this year, “Under the new leadership, HMH’s content, equity, inclusion and diversity guidelines.”
The Teachers College literacy project stated in writing: “It’s important to protect teachers and stick to our values. Neither Kalkins nor Heineman are swayed by their support for children, color educators, and the LGBTQ + community.”
Professor Calkins’ curriculum includes not only liberal states such as New York and California, but also Texas, which has laws aimed at protecting children from discussions of concepts such as structural racism, white privilege, and transgender identity. It is also popular in conservative states such as and Florida.
In Florida, parents can sue the school district for violating these laws and the school must bear the costs.
Florida law came into force on July 1, so it’s not yet clear how it will come into force. However, many educators are afraid to lose their jobs as they become the target of actively involved conservative parental movements.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also a supporter of phonics and signed a presidential directive in 2019. This instruction requires a scientific study of the main reading material and incorporates an explicit, systematic and sequential approach to teaching phonics recognition and phonics.
Professor Calkins’ new reading curriculum (now lagging) addressed that concern after decades of downplaying its importance. However, critics have asked her to send free corrections to thousands of schools using older versions of her program.
At an online conference last week, Professor Calkins regretted the delay in publishing and said he wanted to use the curriculum nationwide, but did not want to fix the issue of diversity and impartiality that he thought was unethical. rice field. She said she did not agree with state law that limits what she can say about race and gender.
Still, according to California literacy coach Margaret Goldberg, who attended the conference, Professor Calkins took “moral responsibility” to take a more research-led reading strategy in front of as many toddlers as possible this fall. Said he felt. Discussions at the meeting were confirmed by the Times with other sources.
Professor Kalkins suggested providing schools that ordered the new curriculum with a simplified kindergarten and first grade lessons. It can be used until Heineman publishes the full copyrighted version. She also provided those customers with access to a free three-day meeting next month to learn new educational strategies.
During the meeting, some attendees had already boxed old curriculum materials in some southern states without a proper lesson plan for the next school year starting as early as August. He said he was worried about becoming.
For Professor Calkins’s critics, who have long been reluctant to emphasize phonics, the latest issue only increases their sense of frustration. Goldberg said that without the new curriculum material, Professor Calkins would not have sent free corrections to any of the old curriculum materials, and advised a major change in literacy strategy across the country. He pointed out that thousands of schools and teachers may go unnoticed.
After more than two years of pandemic turmoil, millions of toddlers across the country are lagging behind in basic reading skills, causing publication delays.