Controversial studying venture at Academics School will ‘dissolve’

Academics School of Columbia College says it’s “dissolving” its Studying and Writing Challenge after greater than 40 years. The venture obtained nationwide media criticism for the way it taught lecturers to instruct younger kids to learn.

“Science of studying” advocates have mentioned Lucy Calkins, the venture’s founding director, didn’t correctly emphasize phonics in her broadly used packages.

Final Friday, Academics School posted on its web site that Calkins “stepped down” because the venture’s director and that the venture “might be dissolved,” with its employees and work shifting this tutorial 12 months to a brand new “Advancing Literacy” unit. That unit is at present led by the venture’s former senior deputy director. (Be aware: This text and headline have been up to date from an earlier model to make clear that the discontinued venture is predicated at Academics School of Columbia College, not Columbia College.)

“TC is working to align the work of TC employees with the wants of faculty districts and modifications in studying curriculum regionally and nationwide,” the assertion mentioned. It additionally mentioned Calkins is on sabbatical this tutorial 12 months. Training Week reported the event Tuesday.

Calkins, who’s tenured and stays the Robinson Professor in Kids’s Literature, didn’t return Inside Larger Ed’s requests for remark Thursday.

In an e-mail, a Academics School spokesperson wrote, “This transfer will foster larger collaboration among the many totally different evidence-based approaches to literacy at Academics School, permitting us to have larger impression.”

On its web site, Academics School wrote {that a} “range of approaches, and TC’s dedication to supporting lecturers and colleges in several methods (e.g. analysis, tutorial packages, skilled studying communities and improvement) has served the school nicely, however transferring ahead, TC desires to foster extra conversations and collaboration amongst totally different evidence-based approaches to literacy.”

Calkins stays the founding director of Mossflower Literacy. Its web site says it’s a suppose tank, curriculum developer and trainer coaching supplier that was beforehand known as the Studying and Writing Challenge Community.