Reading & Literacy Video

Video: Why Are Parents Suing Lucy Calkins and Fountas & Pinnell?

By Stephen Sawchuk & Lauren Santucci — December 17, 2024 5:00
First grader Makai Parker practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C. The state of North Carolina is taking measures to improve reading rates in elementary schools, including this first grade classroom at Eastern Elementary in Washington, N.C.

Parents in Massachusetts have sued the creators and publishers of some of the most popular balanced-literacy curricula on the market, saying the materials hindered their children’s ability to learn to read.

But this new strategy in the “reading wars” has a longer history. It’s centered on one discrete teaching practice. Learn more in our latest explainer video.

Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
Lauren Santucci was a video producer for Education Week.

Video

Teaching Video How Co-Teaching Helps English Learners Succeed
Increasingly in the Metro Nashville schools, general-education and English-learner teachers team up.
1 min read
Laura Eady, a 3rd grade general education teacher (left), and Lisa Maddox, an English-learner teacher, prepare lessons together for students at Mt. View Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 2, 2026.
Laura Eady, a 3rd grade general education teacher (left), and Lisa Maddox, an English-learner teacher, prepare lessons together for students at Mt. View Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 2, 2026.
Kevin Wurm for Education Week
School & District Management Video ‘You’ll Make New Friends’: What Happens to Students When Their School Closes
How two middle schoolers managed uncertainty as their rural school closed its doors.
1 min read
Tacy Fridrych, 11, with her friends on the First day of school at Lisbon Middle School in Lisbon, North Dakota on August 31, 2026.
Tacy Fridrych, 11, with her friends on the first day of school at Lisbon Middle School in Lisbon, North Dakota on August 31, 2026.
Natalie Behring for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Video How One NYC School Experienced 9/11: An EdWeek Editor Recounts That Day
EdWeek's Kevin Bushweller recalls how the staff at a Manhattan public school reacted with resolute calm to upheaval.
Education Week Managing Editor. Sean Cavanagh (left) and Deputy Managing Editor Kevin Bushweller discuss how one New York City school experienced September 11, 2001.
Education Week Managing Editor. Sean Cavanagh (left) and Deputy Managing Editor Kevin Bushweller discuss how one New York City school experienced September 11, 2001.
Yi-Jo Shen for Education Week
Education Funding Video What's in Store for School Funding for 2026-27?
A new education tax credit, federal budget negotiations, and more are in store.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Friday, July 17, 2026.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Eric Lee for Education Week