“Public education has no more right to continue to foster segregated knowledge than it has to foster segregated schools.” — E.D. Hirsch

Don’t miss Robert Pondiscio’s latest Substack on knowledge!

🔗 open.substack.com/pub/thenext3...

🚦 The road to reading is the same, but kids may need different stops along the way. Some need more phonics, others fluency—but Structured Literacy is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Every child deserves the right path to reading success!

📖 Learn more: undivided.io/resources/ph...

HB307 just dropped in GA!

What does it aim to do?
✅Strengthen SB48 & HB538
✅Ban 3 Cueing
✅Strike Reading Recovery from GA code

Read the full bill here: legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB30...

#GAPOL

Repetition: The Neurological Secret Sauce Why do the greatest performers in sports and the arts praise repetitive practice? And how can you apply their principles to your daily living?

1 of 3
#Edusky
#SOR
This applies to teaching novice and struggling readers...

"Repetition is often criticized as boring and a poor substitute for creative thought.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Powerful words from Executive Director Kareem Weaver to ground our work heading into the new year: “[Literacy] is the gateway to society, its institutions, and the basic opportunities that we want for all kids.”

#Literacy is the fundamental #CivilRight of our time.

Teacher reveals the 'really obvious' reason teens no longer read. It's not just the phones. "Kids who read are just built different."

“Adults have lowered the bar for how much you should read as a teenager so far that the bar cannot be found. There are many educators who have the mindset that you shouldn't teach whole books because kids just won't read them.” www.upworthy.com/teacher-reve...

And we have more live events at Planet Word Museum DC in 2025. Next up, Carey Wright, state education superintendent in MS when the state made remarkable reading gains. Now in charge in MD, my home state. Tix available here: planetwordmuseum.org/events/eyes-...

#EduSky
#SOR
#scienceofreading

Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.

Thank you @AndyPierrotti for exposing the root of the problem with Georgia’s excessively low reading proficiency rates!

Spoiler 🚨: Reading Recovery and its three cueing friends permeate GA teacher prep programs at @GeorgiaStateU and other state colleges.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

Georgia State University Accused Of Using Controversial Reading Method To Teach Children How To Read The Reading Recovery curriculum has been criticized by researchers and studies, resulting in a ban from other states but not Georgia.

How is a university still teaching Reading Recovery to teaching students? We know so much more about how kids learn to read, but let's just go backwards. Thanks to @missypurcell.bsky.social for her quotes in this article.

www.blackenterprise.com/georgia-stat...

When Compromise Falls Short: The Case of Universal Reading Screeners in Georgia - My Framer Site If you're seeking one-on-one advocacy and support to navigate special education challenges, Miss Purcell offers personalized help to meet your family's needs.

And to our DDGA education chair, @missypurcell.bsky.social, who testified on behalf of the Deal Center Literacy Advisory Group, THANK YOU. You must watch Missy in action and read her words here: misspurcell.com/blog/when-co...

Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.

More on GSU clinging to Reading Recovery, a program that's been shown to do more harm than good to the kids it was designed to help - kids who struggle to learn to read. Thanks, @missypurcell.bsky.social, for the link! #ScienceofReading

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

When Compromise Falls Short: The Case of Universal Reading Screeners in Georgia - My Framer Site If you're seeking one-on-one advocacy and support to navigate special education challenges, Miss Purcell offers personalized help to meet your family's needs.

The inclusion of iReady sets a troubling precedent. It sends a message that lower standards are acceptable in the name of compromise. When it comes to tools that will shape the literacy outcomes of Georgia’s children, there is no room for “close enough.” misspurcell.com/blog/when-co...

"If you could just walk a mile where we’ve been and [see] what this does to a kid. We’ve got children across the state that are products of a failed intervention." — @missypurcell.bsky.social

ICYMI watch this now: www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

@ddga13.bsky.social @atlantanewsfirst.com

I've just created a starter pack for Developmental Language Disorder. I am sure there will be lots of people I've missed so if you spot omissions (including yourself) then please let me know. #DevLangDis
go.bsky.app/FMV4dou

Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.

#Edusky
Stop what you R doing & listen to this blood-boiling investigative report about the negative impact of Reading Recovery on kids & how states like Georgia & teacher prep schools like Georgia University continue to promote it, use it, and justify it...

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.

Thank you @AndyPierrotti for exposing the root of the problem with Georgia’s excessively low reading proficiency rates!

Spoiler 🚨: Reading Recovery and its three cueing friends permeate GA teacher prep programs at @GeorgiaStateU and other state colleges.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

Our Next Unsung Hero: Vocabulary – New! Webinar on 12/9 - Knowledge Matters Campaign Next up in the Unsung Heroes of Reading is Student Discourse

Why is vocabulary key to reading comprehension? Add registering for this webinar to your weekend checklist! 📚

Join host @mcglynn3 & an expert panel on Dec. 9 at 4:30 PM ET for this webinar.

🎙 Featuring:
• Dr. Sonia Cabell
• Dr. Freddy Hiebert
• Sean Morrisey

Register now: bit.ly/3V2yEvx

Do consumer protection laws apply to literacy instruction? This lawsuit says yes. Two Massachusetts families say Lucy Calkins, other literacy specialists, and their publisher willfully ignored heaps of research that their methods for teaching reading were shoddy, then charging for ...

“Think about that: If your car is broken, and it’s the fault of the manufacturer, the manufacturer recalls the part and fixes it,” said attorney Ben Elga, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “They do not charge you for their failure. It’s outrageous.” www.chalkbeat.org/2024/12/04/l...

Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong

features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/

Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective' A class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts claims that the educational publishing company Heinemann falsely advertised its products as “research-backed” and “data-based.”

A class-action lawsuit was filed today in Massachusetts against the publisher, Heinemann, its top authors Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, and Columbia University. www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...

“American students turned in grim results on the latest international test of math skills — adding to a large body of research showing significant academic declines since the Covid-19 pandemic began.”

We have a real problem on our hands. We need to stop pretending we don’t.

“American students’ math scores took a bigger hit from the pandemic than their peers overseas, according to a closely watched international exam.” www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective' A class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts claims that the educational publishing company Heinemann falsely advertised its products as “research-backed” and “data-based.”

“The lawsuit alleges that the defendants falsely marketed their literacy products as “research-backed” & “data-based,” failed to “warn” consumers that the products lacked sufficient phonics instruction & continued to sell those products when they were inadequate.”

www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...

🎄”The best way to spread Christmas cheer is learning about inclusion here!”🎄

Buddy the Elf shows us that with the right supports, everyone can thrive! From Least Restrictive Environment to Accommodations, Buddy’s journey is a heartwarming example of inclusion and acceptance. 💚

Universal Screening
for Children at Risk for Dyslexia
Why? Research Shows…

Joseph Torgesen “we can, using tests currently available, accurately identify students who are likely to struggle with reading starting in preschool or kindergarten."

decodingdyslexiaca.org/universal-sc...

🚨Less Than One Week Away🚨

Don't miss the next webinar in our "Unsung Heroes" series featuring a panel of experts as they dive into vocabulary, arguably the most powerful component of reading comprehension.

📆: December 9
⏰: 4:30 p.m. ET
🔗: bit.ly/3V2yEvx

At the NCSS conference, a social studies teacher noted how elementary educators are hungry for more focus on K-5 social studies. If we want to build informed citizens, we need to start early—and even in preschool.

Read more: bit.ly/3Zon934

#HistoryMatters #KnowledgeMatters

This is spot on! If schools’s don’t believe in a child’s abilities, what is the incentive to provide rigorous instruction? #ourlivedexperience

Did you know that specifying a methodology in your child’s IEP can make a HUGE difference?

It ensures:
✅ Consistency in instruction
✅ Accountability from the school
✅ Tailored support for their unique needs

📖 Read more: misspurcell.com/blog/3-reasons-to-include-methodology-in-your-child-s-iep