With test scores low, NYC schools turn to new approach for reading instruction

In an effort to address what they call the “educational crisis of our time,” Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks on Tuesday announced new details for their plan to overhaul literacy instruction in the city’s public schools.

Starting next school year, at least half the city’s elementary schools will be required to use one of three vetted reading curricula. For many schools that are not already using one of the new curricula, administrators will have to replace their materials and retrain their teachers.

The shift marks a move away from an approach to reading instruction called “balanced literacy,” which emphasizes independent reading and sometimes encourages students to use clues to decipher texts, but glosses over phonics. The method has come under fire in recent years as mounting data showed that students need explicit instruction in letter sounds and combinations.

Teachers will now move toward a practice known as the “science of reading,” which focuses on phonics, vocabulary and comprehension. But some educators and parents question whether the Adams administration is prepared to offer schools the money and time needed for teachers to retool a fundamental part of their practice.

“Is it going to be perfect? No,” Adams acknowledged while making the announcement at P.S. 156 in Brownsville, Brooklyn. “But damn it, we’re going to try.”

With barely half of the city’s public school students testing as proficient in reading, Adams and Banks have made boosting literacy a cornerstone of their education agenda. Tuesday’s announcement marked the administration’s most significant step yet toward reaching that goal.

“Too many of our children do not know how to read,” Banks said. “It’s a travesty and really an indictment of the work we do.”

Banks highlighted 2022 state test score data that shows 51% of the city’s third through eighth grade students did not score proficient on reading, with yawning disparities by race: 30% of Asian students are not proficient in reading, 33% of white students, 63% of Latino students and 64% of Black students.

Banks added that reading scores in large cities countrywide are also low, noting it is the way students have been taught – not the students, teachers or parents – driving the problem.

“[Students] aren’t reading because we’ve been giving our teachers a flawed playbook,” he said

Brain imaging has shown that most students need explicit instruction in letter sounds and combinations to learn to read. But many schools still employ curriculum — including popular materials developed by Lucy Calkins at Columbia University’s Teachers College — that have historically de-emphasized phonics in favor of more independent reading and comprehension.

Banks said balanced literacy approaches that neglected phonics are akin to building a house by starting with the second story.

Banks said new curricula will be phased in over two years, with half the city’s districts adopting new materials starting this fall, and the other half by fall 2024.

Superintendents have already been required to choose from a menu of three options, which will then be implemented across their districts. They include curricula called “Into Reading,” “Wit & Wisdom,” and “EL Education.”

Early education programs will also be required to adopt new assessments and curriculum.

Banks promised “real hardcore professional development” to help teachers revamp their lessons. That professional development is anticipated to span 26 days, with teachers being paid for each session. Officials said some of those trainings have already taken place, while others will have to happen over the summer and into the next school year, with substitutes covering classes if needed.

The Adams administration has also promised coaches who will work with teachers and superintendents on implementation. The training is estimated to cost $35 million.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, joined the announcement to offer enthusiastic support. “I give this mayor and this chancellor credit for putting their butts on the line,” he said.

The principals union released a statement praising the administration’s decision to prioritize literacy, but opposed the approach.

“We don’t agree that mandating a single curriculum across a given school district is how to reach this critical objective,” said Henry Rubio, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

Education officials will allow some schools to opt out if they can demonstrate their current approach is working, but officials said those exceptions will be very rare since reading is so important, and the science on how to do it is so clear.

“There are a lot of ways [for schools] to demonstrate a level of autonomy,” said Banks. “This is not one of them.”

Still, some parents and educators questioned whether the Adams administration will be able to execute its plans. Adams has proposed cutting almost $1 billion in education department funds for the coming fiscal year.

Officials have yet to outline the full cost to implement the new curricula or how the changes will be funded.

Martina Meijer, a teacher at a Brooklyn elementary school that has used the Calkins curriculum, said she wants to see all schools move toward the science of reading, but said she’s worried about how it will be rolled out at a time of shrinking budgets.

“The mayor can’t say he’s concerned about literacy and then cut funding to schools and libraries,” said Meijer. “And that … gives me very little faith for how whatever new curriculum will be implemented and monitored.”