Buyers Beware

Educators need to be aware of the sinister nature behind the publishing and marketing of Science of Reading training and materials. Far-right, conservative organizations are in the process of a takeover of public education with a view to privatize schools in the United States and mandate instructional strategies and materials that privilege certain companies that comply with ultra conservative values. Perhaps the largest and most visible of these is ExcelinEd, led by Jeb Bush whose family was responsible for No Child Left Behind (and we know that many were left behind) and the marketing of such assessments as DIBELS and Aimsweb. You can find a summary of the statistics behind the application of Reading First, which was a direct result of NCLB, at this website: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094038/summ_c.asp. Here, you will see what you might expect, that more teachers had more training, and that children became better at sounding out words, but there were no statistically significant gains in comprehension which is the point of learning how to read. This result is also clearly evident in more recent studies that report findings concerning the effect of LETRS training which promotes instructional strategies similar to those in the Reading First movement. Lexia’s research study on the results of LETRS training, published in July 2023 (https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24849293/LETRS_Evidence_Base_2023_07_FINAL.pdf), cites a dissertation study by Billie Fick from the University of Southern Mississippi (https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1932/) that showed no significant relationships between LETRS training and teachers’ beliefs that the training made any positive difference in their students’ literacy progress. By the way, if you use Lexia’s document as cited above, don’t try to go directly to the website they provide in the document because it will take you to the wrong dissertation! It is obvious to me that the company didn’t do much in the way of checking for accuracy or alignment to their statements about LETRS success before they went to publication. About the best Lexia can say about LETRS training is that it increases teachers’ knowledge of literacy skills and their use of direct instruction in the classroom. Not much can be said about students’ progress in reading beyond getting better at decoding, not comprehension.
Finally, a report from the What Works Clearinghouse (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/QuickReview/pdr_rev0309.pdf) indicates a similar conclusion, that LETRS is primarily good for advancing teachers’ knowledge but does little or nothing to increase students’ literacy achievement.

So why are LETRS training and accompanying “approved” high quality instructional materials so popular?

As the saying goes, you have to follow the money. The final part of this post will focus on ExcelinEd and its supporters, but I encourage you to look for more. Again, Jeb Bush is the major celebrity behind the organization. His influence on Republican governors in promoting LETRS and “Science of Reading” is strong. Of the ten states that added literacy laws in 2023, eight were headed by Republicans. North Carolina joined the list in 2024 with a Democrat as governor but a voting public that leans red. In that state, educators are directed to ExcelinEd to see how the organization praises NC for their efforts. Decodable readers are taking the place of leveled books and trade books in school resource rooms. The struggle is real.

Here is a list of supporters of ExcelinEd:

1. Charles Koch
2. Bill and Melinda Gates
3. Dick and Betsy De Vos
4. The Walton Family
5. The Obendorf Foundation that funds efforts to privatize education
6. The Jaquelin Hume Foundation that also funds efforts to privative, but they also promote anti-teachers’ union efforts. Their grantees have titles that sound legitimate (Education Next, Association of American Educators, and Center for Education Reform) but they clearly have agendas that do not align with the views of educators who support free public education.

What can teachers do? I think the most important thing is to be aware of who is behind the laws they are being required to follow against their own good sense as teachers. Voting is important, and writing to and testifying before legislators are critical for change to happen. I realize that teachers don’t have much time for anything beyond their jobs and families, but my hope is that they can band together to keep integrity and passion for educating children foremost in educational decision-making.