The articles living rent-free in my head
Resurrecting a few must-reads.
Knowing I’d be off the grid this week for Spring Break, I decided to share a list of essential pieces that might’ve fallen through the cracks for some readers.
I wrote this list entirely from memory, in about ten minutes.
You see, I’ve shared each of these pieces multiple times, with friends, journalists, and the social airwaves, because each serves as an excellent “explainer” for an important topic in K-12 education—or it introduced ideas that stayed with me.
So, each lives rent-free in my head.
Enjoy these essential reads, plus an Easter egg, of sorts.
Read it, bookmark it, share it:
Do. Not. Wait. by Chad Aldeman
A superb, data-rich case for early intervention in reading.
Why Most Education Apps Fail by Carl Hendrick
A sharp take on ways that Ed Tech has been designed to fail.
Playground Confidential by Cafeteria Duty, a New York City educator
A memorable piece on vibes-based school selection by NYC parents. Frankly, it haunts me.
How classroom technology is holding students back by Natalie Wexler
Before we had a massive Ed Tech backlash, and a zillion articles explaining that tech had failed to deliver learning gains, we had Natalie Wexler telling it straight in 2019. I have tweeted this article at least 250 times, because for the longest time, it was all we had to crystallize the issue. I give it away like candy on Halloween.
My kingdom for a reliable curriculum review by Holly Korbey
Curriculum reviews are a critical failure point in the K-12 ecosystem (a drum I bang constantly), so this one can’t be shared enough.
Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure? by Greg Toppo
A tour de force on a critical issue.
Thank Goodness for Mississippi and Louisiana by Chad Aldeman
This article does an incredible job of explaining the role of demographics in state NAEP outcomes. Chad shows how Mississippi and Louisiana can credibly claim to provide a better education than New Jersey, based on disaggregated NAEP data. New Jersey has a relatively high share of privileged students, which props up the state in rankings, but the Dirty Jerz looks a lot less shiny at the cohort level. I share Chad’s article all the time to explain this phenomenon about state rankings on the NAEP.
The Media Theory That Explains “99% of Everything” – Derek Thompson interviews Joe Weisenthal
Amidst fears of a “post-literate society,” this podcast highlights the role of the written word in modern societal progress.
The Usefulness of Brief Instruction in Reading Comprehension Strategies by Dan Willingham
An outstanding explainer on reading comprehension strategies: their value and their limitations. How are we still debating the role of strategies when Willingham wrote this in 2006, I wonder?
The Connections Between Writing, Knowledge Acquisition, and Reading Comprehension by Judy Hochman and Natalie Wexler
Writing gets too little attention, and this piece offers an excellent corrective. When the Curriculum Insight Project tackled writing curriculum, it had pride of place for good reason.
Phonics Reform and Literacy Levels by Tim Shanahan
In 2023, Tim Shanahan wrote a piece that explained the limits of phonics instruction alone to raise reading outcomes. It’s written as a reflection on Emily Hanford’s journalism, but the most enduring points are about instructional impact.
How I missed the phonics story by Maureen Downey
In this cautionary tale, a longtime education journalist explains how she bought into Balanced Literacy, until Emily Hanford’s work came along.
Who killed school reform—and how to rebuild it? – Alexander Russo interviews Steven Wilson
I didn’t realize how badly “high-performing” charters had faltered in recent years by defocusing on academics until I came across this interview.
The Easter Egg: a bittersweet observation on recent trends
I’ve been thinking all week about stats coming out of the Curriculum Insight Project.
We’re Ready to Break Up With iReady has become our most-read piece (by a large margin!), less than two weeks after it published. Go team!
But…
I have feelings about this. On one hand, I’m thrilled. It’s a truly important piece, especially in light of iReady’s market share.
Still, we’ve written about some pretty important topics in the actual curriculum realm.
I struggle watching a piece on Ed Tech outpace the interest in those critical topics—for example, books disappearing from elementary reading curriculum. I’d like to think book-free ELA programs inspire more alarm than any one flawed Ed Tech product.
Core curriculum is deeply important, but it can be the red-headed stepchild of education discourse. How can we change that?
As long as I’m resurrecting important work, I’d humbly ask you to revisit the conversation about book-free reading curricululum. Or the role of excellent curriculum in the reading gains in two states, Louisiana and Tennessee. Or whatever curriculum concern is on your mind.
Coming Attractions
April 9: Sean Morrisey presents on cracking the code in academic vocabulary with the Reading League Illinois.
April 16-18: Learning and the Brain is live from New York and available virtually. Hear Dan Willingham, Natalie Wexler, Sarah Oberle, Leslie Laud, ++.
Join me at ResearchEd NYC on May 2nd!
ResearchEd St. Louis is coming in September. Apply to speak by 5/15.
Thanks for reading! Nominate a story for this newsletter here.
Working my way through this list. Many thanks!
Great set of articles to read. I missed a few the first time around!