Education

May 23, 2025

Judge scuttles lawsuit over Massachusetts reading curriculum

U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled that the lawsuit against educational publisher Heinemann and three of its top authors was invalidated by a legal doctrine that bars claims of “educational malpractice.”

March 6, 2025

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 buy. But the nonprofit organization has given high marks to programs that use strategies debunked by cognitive science. And it hasn't endorsed other programs despite studies showing they work.

February 20, 2025

Most school districts have lots of kids who struggle with reading. This one is different.

The third graders in Steubenville, Ohio, are among the best little readers in the nation. For nearly 20 years, 93% or more of them have scored proficient on state reading tests. In fact, the elementary schools in this economically depressed area are producing better readers than some of the wealthiest places in the country.

December 4, 2024

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.”

November 18, 2024

New reading laws sweep the nation following Sold a Story

At least 25 states have passed laws about how schools teach reading since APM Reports’ Sold a Story podcast was released in 2022. But proponents of the disproven ideas about reading exposed in the podcast haven’t given up.

April 30, 2024

‘Science of reading’ movement spells financial trouble for publisher Heinemann

The educational publisher raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue during the 2010s selling reading programs based on a disproven theory. The company now faces financial fallout, as schools ditch its products.

April 22, 2024

How NH Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut used his office in the culture war

Frank Edelblut pledged to stay “nonpartisan.” But as head of New Hampshire’s education department, he’s used his platform to pursue conservative grievances against the education system and individual educators.

April 22, 2024

A trans teacher asked students about pronouns. Then the education commissioner found out.

New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut criticized a middle school art class slideshow for discussing gender. For the teacher who made the presentation, it was the last straw.

April 11, 2024

Reading Recovery organization confronts financial difficulties

As schools around the country are dropping Reading Recovery, the nonprofit that advocates for the tutoring program tapped into its cash reserves to push back against journalists and legislators.

April 4, 2024

As states refocus reading instruction, two universities stick with a discredited idea

Other schools are backing away from a disproven theory about how kids learn to read, but programs started by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell train literacy coaches to believe in it.

December 11, 2023

Widely used reading test often wrong

“Flipping a coin would actually be better” for identifying struggling readers, one researcher said of the test created by influential curriculum developers Fountas and Pinnell.

November 17, 2022

How legislation on reading instruction is changing across the country

More states are now requiring districts to adopt curriculum that adheres to the science of reading.

November 10, 2022

Heinemann’s billion-dollar sales have nationwide reach

APM Reports found that the controversial educational publishing company has sold instructional materials and professional resources in almost every state, earning at least $1.6 billion over a decade.

October 20, 2022

Want to know more about the science of reading?

Here’s a reading list put together by Emily Hanford, host and lead producer of our podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong.

August 9, 2022

No Excuses: Race and Reckoning at a Chicago Charter School

An audio documentary from APM Reports.

August 2, 2022

Native American College Diaries

An audio documentary from APM Reports.

April 23, 2022

New research shows controversial Reading Recovery program eventually had a negative impact on children

Initial gains from first-grade intervention didn’t last and kids performed worse in third and fourth grade.

November 19, 2021

Influential authors Fountas and Pinnell stand behind disproven reading theory

The education professors double down on a flawed approach that encourages pictures and context to read words. Heinemann — their publisher — faces harsh criticism.

August 19, 2021

Inside the college mental health crisis

Colleges are struggling to meet the surging demand for mental health services on campus, and some schools are wrestling with how much care they owe students.

August 3, 2021

The U.S. may never regain its dominance as a destination for international students. Here's why that matters.

Colleges and universities in the United States attract more than a million international students a year. Higher education is one of America’s top service exports, generating $42 billion in revenue. But the money spigot is closing. The pandemic, visa restrictions, rising tuition and a perception of poor safety in America have driven new international student enrollment down by a jaw-dropping 72 percent.

July 28, 2021

Texas company fuels rise of for-profit teacher training programs

Texas Teachers of Tomorrow has become the largest teacher training program in the nation, offering a low-cost online program. While it’s lowered barriers and helped diversify the workforce, this approach to training hasn’t solved chronic teacher shortages.

October 16, 2020

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views

In a major shift, the controversial figure in the fight over how to teach reading now says that beginning readers should focus on sounding out words, according to a document obtained by APM Reports.

August 6, 2020

Many kids struggle with reading – and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need

A false assumption about what it takes to be a skilled reader has created deep inequalities among U.S. children, putting many on a difficult path in life.

July 29, 2020

On the Navajo Nation, college students navigate a curfew and digital dead zones

The pandemic is making getting through college harder for students on the wrong side of the digital divide. In rural Arizona, when campuses closed, some students couldn’t log on from home, because they had no access to the internet. A local sheriff flew laptops and hotspots to community college students on the Navajo Nation.

July 29, 2020

Some colleges that weathered the Great Depression and two world wars won't survive Covid-19

The long tradition of students attending small, residential liberal arts colleges around the country was already shaky before the pandemic. Students are choosing less expensive options and more practical degrees. Experts warn that 10 percent of American colleges — about 200 or more institutions — are on the verge of going under. The pandemic is accelerating that trend.

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