Two Massachusetts families have filed a lawsuit against the creators and publishers of widely used whole-language reading curricula, claiming that they engaged in “deceptive and fraudulent” marketing of curricula they knew was ineffective.

Using a novel consumer-protection approach, the lawsuit claims that Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, their publisher Heinemann, and the board of trustees of Columbia University’s Teachers College ignored exhaustive research on the importance of phonics and charged districts to update curricula after being forced to admit that their approach was flawed. It comes as many states, and New York City, are revamping reading instruction to better align with the science of reading, which calls for explicit phonics instruction.

The Massachusetts families said their children struggled to learn how to read with the curricula used in their schools. They are pursuing class-action status and asking other families to join.

While Fountas and Pinnell have largely stood behind their work, Calkins has admitted she made mistakes and has adjusted her curriculum to include more phonics.

Teachers College disbanded Calkins’ Reading and Writing Project in 2023.

Chalkbeat, Dec. 4