Christopher Peak
Reporter
Christopher Peak is an investigative reporter covering education. With Emily Hanford, he has written about a disproven theory schools still use to teach reading. Peak previously worked for the New Haven Independent, NationSwell and the Point Reyes Light, and he contributed research for the Peabody Award-winning podcast Uncivil. Peak was a finalist for the Education Writers Association’s national award for beat reporting and several SABEW Best in Business awards. He has won numerous regional and state awards, including the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award for his FOIA litigation. He is a graduate of Yale University. Peak is based in New York City.
Stories
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 administration agreed to finish the research only after it was sued.
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.
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.”
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
La prueba de lectura del Benchmark Assessment System es muy utilizada y a menudo errónea
«De hecho, sería mejor jugar a cara o cruz» para identificar a los lectores con dificultades, dijo un investigador sobre la prueba creada por los influyentes creadores del plan de estudios Fountas y Pinnell.
Benchmark Assessment System reading test is widely used and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How Washington, D.C., mishandled its response to the coronavirus
In a city with some of the most glaring health disparities in the country, District officials were slow to help Black residents deal with the pandemic.
Michigan reaches settlement in landmark right-to-literacy case
The governor won't contest a court ruling that found students have a constitutional right to learn to read and agrees to more funding for Detroit schools.
Is learning to read a constitutional right?
A federal court recently ruled that underfunded schools in Detroit violated students' right to a basic education. Advocates hope the case is the beginning of a trend.