Literacy instruction in one of the Boston area’s most sought-after suburban school districts is hampered by poor communication, lapses in leadership, and a “climate of deep mistrust” among educators and parents — factors that ultimately limit students’ learning potential, according to a new report.
The 111-page report released by Winchester Public Schools and written by evaluators from the Collaborative for Educational Services, a Northampton-based nonprofit, found “wide variability” in how students across the 4,300-student district are taught to read, with at least 20 different curriculums used across five elementary schools. Though Winchester purports to empower teachers by granting them instructional autonomy, a majority of educators would prefer more guidance from district leadership, the report found, noting a “remarkable discrepancy” between how leaders and the rank and file view the district’s curriculum landscape.
“I teach all the subjects,” said one teacher, according to the report. “I have students with Autism, ADHD, with IEPs. And I’m supposed to be creating literacy curriculum? The district says they trust me, but I’m not an expert curriculum writer, or a literacy expert. I feel like I’m on my own.”
“My first year here, I was in shock. I’ve never taught in a district where there was so little structure or guidance,” said another.
Winchester commissioned the report earlier this year in response to mounting community pressure for a review. That pressure was spurred, in part, by a January Globe investigation into how Boston’s suburban districts are teaching children to read. Winchester was among several districts using a reading curriculum the state education department calls “low-quality” for relying on outdated teaching methods, the Globe found.
Though Winchester’s overall reading achievement beats state averages, its marginalized students — which includes those who are low-income, have disabilities, or are learning English — find themselves at the losing end of double-digit achievement gaps. On the 2023 state-mandated MCAS English Language Arts exam, for example, 70 percent of non-low-income third grade students met or exceeded expectations, versus just 32 percent of their low-income peers.
For the report, which was discussed at a Tuesday school committee meeting, evaluators surveyed teachers, literacy coaches and specialists, and parents, in addition to holding several listening sessions both in person and on Zoom.
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Evaluators described in the report that it is overwhelmingly clear there is “little collaboration or trust between teachers and district literacy leadership,” with teachers feeling there is little room for their voice or expertise and many fearing “shame or censure” for speaking up. Educators feel “unheard, distrusted, and disempowered,” according to the report.
“They say they trust us, that we’re the experts,” one teacher said, “but teachers’ opinions actually hold very little weight here.”
Parents, meanwhile, reported conversations with teachers that had a “clandestine edge,” with educators stating, “I’m not allowed to say this, but...”, the report said.
“There is a weird tension in the district because no one will admit that maybe some things went wrong,” one parent said. “There is a culture of pushing literacy challenges under the rug.”
Speaking during the Tuesday meeting, Superintendent Frank Hackett called the report a “very difficult read.”
“But it is out there, so we know now, we have a common ground around what people are saying, teachers specifically,” said Hackett.
Many Winchester teachers have been using a curriculum called Units of Study in Reading from the New Hampshire-based publisher Heinemann. Units of Study is one of the curriculums the state education department has deemed low-quality. (The creator of the curriculum, Lucy Calkins, told The New York Times in 2022 that an updated version of her curriculum would not include word-guessing as a tactic for solving unknown words. Calkins last year stepped down as the director of her longtime venture at Columbia University, the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and will return to teaching for the university in the fall. )
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Evaluators found teachers were split on why they use Units of Study: 41 percent said they use it because it is offered by the district and works well for students, while 37 percent said they use it because it is offered but that it does not work well for students. Twenty-two percent said they had another reason for using the curriculum, with several noting it works well for their students only because they make extensive modifications to the materials.
“I think some of the Lucy Calkins materials are excellent, but I also see where they’re lacking,” said one teacher.
“There is so much research against Lucy Calkins’s program, it should not be supported by the district,” said another.
Evaluators additionally found the district’s teacher training, as well as its supports for struggling readers, to be lacking.
During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, Winchester parent and select board member Anthea Brady said the report “lays out what a lot of families have suspected for many years.“
“My question is: What is the next step? How will the district address these issues?” Brady said.
In his comments, Hackett said there are “clearly things, in my view, that we can begin to take action on,” but he did not provide specifics, saying more time for reflection is needed.
Winchester is hosting three question-and-answer sessions with evaluators from the Collaborative for Educational Services. The first session is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Two additional sessions will take place at 4 p.m. on July 1 and July 22.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify Lucy Calkins’ comments to the New York Times, as well as her work for Columbia University Teacher’s College.
Mandy McLaren can be reached at mandy.mclaren@globe.com. Follow her @mandy_mclaren.