Reposted by Christopher Peak
New Sold a Story podcast on the history of and recent cuts to education research, and I am HERE FOR IT. www.apmreports.org/episode/2025...
Episode 14: The Cuts
www.apmreports.org
August 21, 2025 at 1:45 PM
New Sold a Story podcast on the history of and recent cuts to education research, and I am HERE FOR IT. www.apmreports.org/episode/2025...
Reposted by Christopher Peak
From @clpeak.bsky.social -- If it hadn’t been for legal action, the results of the largest study on reading might never have been released. But in response to lawsuits, the Department of Education said it would voluntarily reinstate the contract for the study: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
Lawsuit saves massive reading experiment
The Trump administration tried to kill the largest reading experiment ever funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm — just months before the yearslong study was complete. The administ...
www.apmreports.org
August 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
From @clpeak.bsky.social -- If it hadn’t been for legal action, the results of the largest study on reading might never have been released. But in response to lawsuits, the Department of Education said it would voluntarily reinstate the contract for the study: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
A lot of what we know as the science of reading was funded by the federal government. We’ve spent the last few months reporting on what the Trump administration’s cuts mean for that research. Listen here (or wherever you get podcasts): www.apmreports.org/episode/2025...
Episode 14: The Cuts
www.apmreports.org
August 25, 2025 at 3:29 PM
A lot of what we know as the science of reading was funded by the federal government. We’ve spent the last few months reporting on what the Trump administration’s cuts mean for that research. Listen here (or wherever you get podcasts): www.apmreports.org/episode/2025...
New York City’s third-grade reading proficiency shot up nearly 13 points — to 58% — on this year’s state standardized test. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/n...
N.Y.C. Schools Change How Reading Is Taught, and Test Scores Rise
www.nytimes.com
August 11, 2025 at 9:03 PM
New York City’s third-grade reading proficiency shot up nearly 13 points — to 58% — on this year’s state standardized test. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/n...
Reposted by Christopher Peak
Excellent summary of the intellectual history of "cueing." These are ideas and citations @clpeak.bsky.social and I spent years poring over to make Sold a Story. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
August 1, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Excellent summary of the intellectual history of "cueing." These are ideas and citations @clpeak.bsky.social and I spent years poring over to make Sold a Story. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
"Adopting a new curriculum is only a first step. Real change is like training for a marathon: buying the right gear doesn’t build endurance." www.the74million.org/article/trul...
Truly Shifting to Science of Reading Sometimes Takes ‘Balanced Literacy Rehab’
McQuillan: Even with new curricula and good intentions, old teaching habits die hard. How to break the cycle and improve literacy outcomes.
www.the74million.org
August 7, 2025 at 3:37 PM
"Adopting a new curriculum is only a first step. Real change is like training for a marathon: buying the right gear doesn’t build endurance." www.the74million.org/article/trul...
Research doesn't support using "multisensory" instruction to teach reading, but it's being legislated. "Not that doing multisensory things is going to be harmful," one expert said, but don't expect "those are going to make the difference." www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Popular Reading Programs Feature 'Multisensory' Instruction. Does It Help?
Many elementary school classrooms incorporate touch and movement into reading lessons. But research on the practice is inconclusive.
www.edweek.org
June 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Research doesn't support using "multisensory" instruction to teach reading, but it's being legislated. "Not that doing multisensory things is going to be harmful," one expert said, but don't expect "those are going to make the difference." www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
In 2014, 11% of children ages 0 to 2 in the UK spent one to three hours a day on a screen. By 2019, that percentage rose to 42%, according to the National Literacy Trust. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Fewer Parents Are Reading Aloud to Their Kids. Why That Matters
Pleasure reading is the best way for emerging readers to maintain their skills in the summer. Getting parents on board can be challenging.
www.edweek.org
June 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM
In 2014, 11% of children ages 0 to 2 in the UK spent one to three hours a day on a screen. By 2019, that percentage rose to 42%, according to the National Literacy Trust. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Success for All, the school reform model featured in Sold a Story, received $13.5 million from an anonymous donor to expand to 150 more schools. www.the74million.org/article/scie...
School Reform Program, Known for Science of Reading Approach, Looks to Grow
Anonymous donor gives Success For All, featured in ‘Sold a Story’ podcast, $13.5 million to add 150 more schools.
www.the74million.org
June 2, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Success for All, the school reform model featured in Sold a Story, received $13.5 million from an anonymous donor to expand to 150 more schools. www.the74million.org/article/scie...
NPR and three public radio stations sue President Trump, alleging his executive order to cut off federal funding violates the Constitution and their First Amendment rights. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/b...
NPR Sues Trump Over Order to Cut Funding
www.nytimes.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
NPR and three public radio stations sue President Trump, alleging his executive order to cut off federal funding violates the Constitution and their First Amendment rights. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/b...
“We’re talking about an entire generation of learning perhaps significantly undermined here,” one college professor said, of students’ reliance on ChatGPT. “It’s short-circuiting the learning process, and it’s happening fast.” nymag.com/intelligence...
Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College
ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project.
nymag.com
May 15, 2025 at 12:05 AM
“We’re talking about an entire generation of learning perhaps significantly undermined here,” one college professor said, of students’ reliance on ChatGPT. “It’s short-circuiting the learning process, and it’s happening fast.” nymag.com/intelligence...
Harvard officials were shocked that such an important letter — bearing the logos of three government agencies, with signatures of three top officials at the bottom — could be sent by a mistake. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/b...
Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard
An official on the administration’s antisemitism task force told the university that a letter of demands had been sent without authorization.
www.nytimes.com
April 19, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Harvard officials were shocked that such an important letter — bearing the logos of three government agencies, with signatures of three top officials at the bottom — could be sent by a mistake. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/b...
For years, the country’s lowest-scoring students were steadily improving on national tests. Starting around 2013, something changed. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/u...
The Pandemic Is Not the Only Reason U.S. Students Are Losing Ground
For years, the country’s lowest-scoring students were steadily improving on national tests. Starting around 2013, something changed.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
For years, the country’s lowest-scoring students were steadily improving on national tests. Starting around 2013, something changed. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/u...
Sold a Story was featured in this weekend’s New York Times: “This American Public Media podcast lays out how a deeply flawed teaching method took hold despite having been widely debunked by cognitive scientists.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/a...
5 Podcasts Where Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
These twist-filled shows can offer a real-world escape from the drumbeat of news.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Sold a Story was featured in this weekend’s New York Times: “This American Public Media podcast lays out how a deeply flawed teaching method took hold despite having been widely debunked by cognitive scientists.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/a...
Reposted by Christopher Peak
We need state curriculum maps for all states ASAP, to support researchers and parents, alike.
My latest article includes links to info from the five states that have published curriculum maps, as well as a few additional sources from @clpeak.bsky.social and more.
My latest article includes links to info from the five states that have published curriculum maps, as well as a few additional sources from @clpeak.bsky.social and more.
March 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
We need state curriculum maps for all states ASAP, to support researchers and parents, alike.
My latest article includes links to info from the five states that have published curriculum maps, as well as a few additional sources from @clpeak.bsky.social and more.
My latest article includes links to info from the five states that have published curriculum maps, as well as a few additional sources from @clpeak.bsky.social and more.
Reposted by Christopher Peak
New today from @clpeak.bsky.social. A look at a EdReports, one of the most powerful gatekeepers influencing the instructional materials schools buy. www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
When schools buy new reading programs, they look to EdReports. But some of its reviews don’t line up with science.
Even though EdReports is only a decade old, it has quickly become a powerful force in the educational publishing industry. Many schools rely on its reviews when they decide which reading programs to b...
www.apmreports.org
March 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
New today from @clpeak.bsky.social. A look at a EdReports, one of the most powerful gatekeepers influencing the instructional materials schools buy. www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
Sold a Story has a new mini-series. We found a high-poverty school district where nearly every kid can read well. They’ve been teaching the same way for 25 years. But a new law, inspired by our reporting, put that at risk. All three podcast episodes are out now.
What if I told you that in a small, rust belt city, where abandoned buildings line the streets, kids are doing better in reading than in some of the richest school districts in America? www.youtube.com/shorts/KsBNf...
The Outlier: Steubenville, Ohio
YouTube video by APM Reports
www.youtube.com
March 11, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Sold a Story has a new mini-series. We found a high-poverty school district where nearly every kid can read well. They’ve been teaching the same way for 25 years. But a new law, inspired by our reporting, put that at risk. All three podcast episodes are out now.
NYT: The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers, effectively gutting the agency that manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement and enforces civil rights laws in schools. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/u...
Education Department to Fire 1,300 Workers, Gutting Its Staff
The layoffs mean that the department will now have a work force of about half the size it did when President Trump took office.
www.nytimes.com
March 11, 2025 at 11:29 PM
NYT: The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it was firing more than 1,300 workers, effectively gutting the agency that manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement and enforces civil rights laws in schools. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/u...
DOGE is likely subject to FOIA, a federal judge ruled. The agency had argued it was acting as an advisor to the president, putting its records off-limits until at least 2034. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/u...
Musk’s Team Must Produce Documents to Comply With Open Records Laws, Judge Says
A federal judge in Washington ordered Elon Musk’s team and the Office of Management and Budget to begin releasing internal documents “as soon as practicable.”
www.nytimes.com
March 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
DOGE is likely subject to FOIA, a federal judge ruled. The agency had argued it was acting as an advisor to the president, putting its records off-limits until at least 2034. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/u...
Reposted by Christopher Peak
A new episode of Sold a Story is available now.
Episode 11: The Outlier
There's a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Episode 11: The Outlier
There's a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
11: The Outlier
Podcast Episode · Sold a Story · S1 E11 · 31m
podcasts.apple.com
February 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM
A new episode of Sold a Story is available now.
Episode 11: The Outlier
There's a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Episode 11: The Outlier
There's a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Reposted by Christopher Peak
"If contracts tied to IES and NCES are indeed terminated, and its research becomes unavailable online, a trove of data gathered over many decades about the state of education in the U.S. could become difficult to access." www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n... @npr.org
Trump administration targets Education Department research arm in latest cuts
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is responsible for gathering data on a wide range of topics, including research-backed teaching practices and the state of U.S. student achievement.
www.npr.org
February 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"If contracts tied to IES and NCES are indeed terminated, and its research becomes unavailable online, a trove of data gathered over many decades about the state of education in the U.S. could become difficult to access." www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n... @npr.org
The divide between academic haves and have-nots on the nation's report card was historic: Lower-performing fourth and eighth graders posted the worst reading scores in over 30 years. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/29/n...
Struggling students just posted their worst NAEP reading scores in 32 years
The National Assessment for Educational Progress results show a dispiriting and growing gap between students who are academic stand-outs and those who struggle. Reading scores also fell. But fourth gr...
www.chalkbeat.org
January 30, 2025 at 10:38 PM
The divide between academic haves and have-nots on the nation's report card was historic: Lower-performing fourth and eighth graders posted the worst reading scores in over 30 years. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/29/n...
The declines in students' reading scores started before the pandemic, continued during it and have persisted since. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
American Kids Are Getting Even Worse at Reading
New national test scores indicate a continuing slide in reading skills.
www.wsj.com
January 30, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The declines in students' reading scores started before the pandemic, continued during it and have persisted since. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
Republicans in Congress have tried to defund public media for decades. Could they finally make good on their threat? www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/b...
NPR and PBS Stations Brace for Funding Battle Under Trump
Republicans in Congress have tried to defund public media for decades. With the help of Elon Musk, could they finally make good on their threat?
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2024 at 6:28 PM
Republicans in Congress have tried to defund public media for decades. Could they finally make good on their threat? www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/b...
Attorneys in Massachusetts just filed a class-action lawsuit against Heinemann and its authors Calkins, Fountas and Pinnell in state court over what they allege are “deceptive” and “defective” reading programs. www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...
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.”
www.apmreports.org
December 4, 2024 at 9:06 PM
Attorneys in Massachusetts just filed a class-action lawsuit against Heinemann and its authors Calkins, Fountas and Pinnell in state court over what they allege are “deceptive” and “defective” reading programs. www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...