Lucy Calkins

Lucy M Calkins
Born	Lucy McCormick Calkins
Occupation	Educator

Lucy Calkins is an American educator and professor at Columbia University who is best known for creating the Units of Study reading and writing curriculum.

Early life

Calkins and her eight siblings were raised by their parents who were both doctors. Calkins used to babysit Donald Graves's children, which got her interested in reading and writing. She attended Williams College and graduated in 1973. She earned her doctorate in English education from NYU. ^{[1] [2]}

Career

Calkins was a high school teacher in Connecticut. She left that job for an unpaid internship at a primary school in Oxfordshire to learn about the British education model, which was considered to be more effective at teaching reading than the United States. ^[3]

In 1981, Calkins founded the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project institute in Columbia University's Teacher College. ^[4]

In 1986, she published The Art of Teaching Writing before expanding her teaching philosophy to reading with the publication of The Art of Teaching Reading in 2001.

Calkins created the reading and writing curriculum, Units of Study, which is used in thousands of American schools. It emphasizes teaching reading through context and cues (whole language) instead of teaching phonics. In the early 2000s, it became central to the New York City public school system's curriculum. ^[1]

Criticism

Calkins’ methods for reading instruction, derived from the context and cue theories of Marie Clay, have been criticized as contradicting the science of reading and hindering millions of American students from learning to read.

In October 2022, American Public Media debuted a podcast called Sold a Story, discussing the negative impacts of Calkins’ work on the teaching of reading in American public schools, as well as numerous studies that contradicted Clay's theory. ^[5]

In 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleging that “deceptive” and “defective” products from publisher Heinemann and three authors, including Calkins, Irene Fountas, and Gay Su Pinnell, made it harder for children to learn to read. ^[6]

In 2025, the court dismissed the case, claiming it was not adequately equipped to assess the quality of evidence used to support Balanced Literacy. ^[7]

Selected publications

• Calkins, Lucy M (2020). Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-325-11812-3.
• Calkins, Lucy M (2018). Leading Well. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-325-10922-0.
• Calkins, Lucy M (2014). Writing Pathways. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-325-05730-9.
• Calkins, Lucy M (2005). Big Lessons from Small Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-325-00748-9.
• Calkins, Lucy M (2005). One to One. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-325-00788-5.
• Calkins, Lucy M (1994). The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-435-08809-5.

References

1. Lewis, Helen (November 13, 2024). "How One Woman Became The Scapegoat For America's Reading Crisis". The Atlantic . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
2. Goldstein, Dana (September 8, 2023). "Amid Reading Wars, Teachers College Will Close a Star Professor's Shop". The New York Times . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
3. Zimmerman, Haley (September 19, 2023). "Lucy Calkins '73 taught America to read. The 'reading wars' have called her work into question". The Williams Record . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
4. Winter, Jessica (September 1, 2022). "The Rise and Fall of Vibes-Based Literacy". The New Yorker . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
5. Wexler, Natalie. "New Podcast Examines Why Teachers Have Been 'Sold A Story' On Reading Instruction". Forbes. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
6. Peak, Christopher. "Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective'". American Public Media. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
7. Schwartz, Sarah (May 22, 2025). "Court Dismisses Reading Lawsuit Against Lucy Calkins, Other 'Balanced Literacy' Proponents". Education Week. ISSN   0277-4232 . Retrieved May 25, 2025.