Curriculum Reform
I recently listened to Education Gadfly’s Podcast #916, The Case for Curriculum Reform, which featured insights from Robert Pondiscio. It immediately reminded me of the famous line from Jerry Maguire, “You had me at hello.” I was intrigued when Pondiscio shared that school districts often don’t adopt curriculum —they buy it and then try to persuade teachers to implement it.
Pondiscio highlights the critical need for professional development and support for teachers in curriculum adoption. However, he points out a lack of substantial research on the effectiveness of most instructional materials. There is limited evidence to explain why some curriculum resources perform better than others.
Success Academy’s Model
Eva Moskowitz, CEO of Success Academy, explained to Pondiscio that their curriculum is not “scripted.” Instead, it allows teachers to focus on teaching rather than gathering resources. Teachers have more time to analyze student work, diagnose issues, act, and intervene quickly when students struggle. Moskowitz emphasized, “You can’t be successful in our model without studying student work.”
The essence of effective teaching lies in studying student work, providing actionable feedback, and building relationships with students.
Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR)
It’s human nature to believe the neighbor’s grass is greener. According to Pondiscio, literacy education has benefited from the science of reading movement, though not without challenges.
In her article, “How to Tell When Scientifically Based Reading Instruction Isn’t”, funded by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Dr. Louisa Moats critiques the simplistic “five-part checklist” approach created by the Five Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction:
Phonological Awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
While the checklist is memorable and offers administrators a framework for evaluating programs, Dr. Moats warns that its presence does not guarantee a program is genuinely grounded in SBRR. To determine authenticity, programs must demonstrate evidence of understanding why each component is essential and how effectively it is implemented.
The Starfall Pre-K Curriculum Case
In 2012, the Clark County School District in Las Vegas implemented the Starfall Pre-K Curriculum, which did not follow authentic scientific research.
For instance, the curriculum included benchmarks such as:
Identifying spoken words as the same or different.
Combining words to form compound words.
Blending onset and rime to create a familiar one-syllable word.
However, the sequence of instruction was problematic. Lessons often assumed unrealistic levels of phonemic awareness for preschool students and presented redundant activities for more advanced learners.
Teacher Quality
Pondiscio acknowledges that researchers have proven some teachers are more effective than others. However, identifying what makes an effective teacher remains elusive.
Credentialing and certification exams show no consistent relationship with classroom effectiveness. Instead, Pondiscio suggests practices such as studying student work and becoming diagnosticians and interventionists are worthwhile to emulate. These practices require a strong pedagogical knowledge base.
Insights from the National Reading Panel
The National Reading Panel’s 2000 report (full report: link) offers avenues for further research:
Understanding the teacher’s role in phonological awareness and phonics instruction.
Identifying what teachers need to know to effectively promote these skills.
Integrating phonics with other elements of reading instruction.
Phonics programs often present fixed lesson sequences, yet students come with varied skill levels. This underscores the need for teachers to critically evaluate reading programs and adapt them to diverse student needs.
Resources for Teachers
Chapters 3 and 4 of my manuscript, Helping Students Crack the Reading Code, focus on phonological awareness and phonics instruction in ways uncommon in most handbooks. You can find these chapters in my Teachers Pay Teachers store: Crack the Reading Code.
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