Missy Purcell
banner
missypurcell.bsky.social
Missy Purcell
@missypurcell.bsky.social
Dyslexia mom & former balanced literacy teacher who discovered the power of evidence-based reading. Advocating to ensure every child becomes a reader!
Reposted by Missy Purcell
“Public education has no more right to continue to foster segregated knowledge than it has to foster segregated schools.” — E.D. Hirsch

Don’t miss Robert Pondiscio’s latest Substack on knowledge!

🔗 open.substack.com/pub/thenext3...
February 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
🚦 The road to reading is the same, but kids may need different stops along the way. Some need more phonics, others fluency—but Structured Literacy is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Every child deserves the right path to reading success!

📖 Learn more: undivided.io/resources/ph...
February 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
HB307 just dropped in GA!

What does it aim to do?
✅Strengthen SB48 & HB538
✅Ban 3 Cueing
✅Strike Reading Recovery from GA code

Read the full bill here: legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB30...

#GAPOL
February 9, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
1 of 3
#Edusky
#SOR
This applies to teaching novice and struggling readers...

"Repetition is often criticized as boring and a poor substitute for creative thought.

Nothing could be further from the truth.
Repetition: The Neurological Secret Sauce
Why do the greatest performers in sports and the arts praise repetitive practice? And how can you apply their principles to your daily living?
www.psychologytoday.com
January 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
Powerful words from Executive Director Kareem Weaver to ground our work heading into the new year: “[Literacy] is the gateway to society, its institutions, and the basic opportunities that we want for all kids.”

#Literacy is the fundamental #CivilRight of our time.
January 3, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
“Adults have lowered the bar for how much you should read as a teenager so far that the bar cannot be found. There are many educators who have the mindset that you shouldn't teach whole books because kids just won't read them.” www.upworthy.com/teacher-reve...
Teacher reveals the 'really obvious' reason teens no longer read. It's not just the phones.
"Kids who read are just built different."
www.upworthy.com
December 26, 2024 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
And we have more live events at Planet Word Museum DC in 2025. Next up, Carey Wright, state education superintendent in MS when the state made remarkable reading gains. Now in charge in MD, my home state. Tix available here: planetwordmuseum.org/events/eyes-...
December 26, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
December 22, 2024 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
Thank you @AndyPierrotti for exposing the root of the problem with Georgia’s excessively low reading proficiency rates!

Spoiler 🚨: Reading Recovery and its three cueing friends permeate GA teacher prep programs at @GeorgiaStateU and other state colleges.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...
Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods
Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.
www.atlantanewsfirst.com
December 10, 2024 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
How is a university still teaching Reading Recovery to teaching students? We know so much more about how kids learn to read, but let's just go backwards. Thanks to @missypurcell.bsky.social for her quotes in this article.

www.blackenterprise.com/georgia-stat...
Georgia State University Accused Of Using Controversial Reading Method To Teach Children How To Read
The Reading Recovery curriculum has been criticized by researchers and studies, resulting in a ban from other states but not Georgia.
www.blackenterprise.com
December 13, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
And to our DDGA education chair, @missypurcell.bsky.social, who testified on behalf of the Deal Center Literacy Advisory Group, THANK YOU. You must watch Missy in action and read her words here: misspurcell.com/blog/when-co...
When Compromise Falls Short: The Case of Universal Reading Screeners in Georgia - My Framer Site
If you're seeking one-on-one advocacy and support to navigate special education challenges, Miss Purcell offers personalized help to meet your family's needs.
misspurcell.com
December 13, 2024 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
More on GSU clinging to Reading Recovery, a program that's been shown to do more harm than good to the kids it was designed to help - kids who struggle to learn to read. Thanks, @missypurcell.bsky.social, for the link! #ScienceofReading

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...
Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods
Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.
www.atlantanewsfirst.com
December 13, 2024 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
The inclusion of iReady sets a troubling precedent. It sends a message that lower standards are acceptable in the name of compromise. When it comes to tools that will shape the literacy outcomes of Georgia’s children, there is no room for “close enough.” misspurcell.com/blog/when-co...
When Compromise Falls Short: The Case of Universal Reading Screeners in Georgia - My Framer Site
If you're seeking one-on-one advocacy and support to navigate special education challenges, Miss Purcell offers personalized help to meet your family's needs.
misspurcell.com
December 13, 2024 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
"If you could just walk a mile where we’ve been and [see] what this does to a kid. We’ve got children across the state that are products of a failed intervention." — @missypurcell.bsky.social

ICYMI watch this now: www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...

@ddga13.bsky.social @atlantanewsfirst.com
December 12, 2024 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
I've just created a starter pack for Developmental Language Disorder. I am sure there will be lots of people I've missed so if you spot omissions (including yourself) then please let me know. #DevLangDis
go.bsky.app/FMV4dou
December 9, 2024 at 7:06 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
#Edusky
Stop what you R doing & listen to this blood-boiling investigative report about the negative impact of Reading Recovery on kids & how states like Georgia & teacher prep schools like Georgia University continue to promote it, use it, and justify it...

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...
Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods
Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.
www.atlantanewsfirst.com
December 10, 2024 at 9:16 PM
Thank you @AndyPierrotti for exposing the root of the problem with Georgia’s excessively low reading proficiency rates!

Spoiler 🚨: Reading Recovery and its three cueing friends permeate GA teacher prep programs at @GeorgiaStateU and other state colleges.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/12/10/g...
Georgia State University accused of teaching ‘debunked’ reading methods
Multiple states have banned a method used to teach children to read for decades, but it’s still allowed in Georgia.
www.atlantanewsfirst.com
December 10, 2024 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
Why is vocabulary key to reading comprehension? Add registering for this webinar to your weekend checklist! 📚

Join host @mcglynn3 & an expert panel on Dec. 9 at 4:30 PM ET for this webinar.

🎙 Featuring:
• Dr. Sonia Cabell
• Dr. Freddy Hiebert
• Sean Morrisey

Register now: bit.ly/3V2yEvx
Our Next Unsung Hero: Vocabulary – New! Webinar on 12/9 - Knowledge Matters Campaign
Next up in the Unsung Heroes of Reading is Student Discourse
bit.ly
December 8, 2024 at 12:51 AM
“Think about that: If your car is broken, and it’s the fault of the manufacturer, the manufacturer recalls the part and fixes it,” said attorney Ben Elga, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “They do not charge you for their failure. It’s outrageous.” www.chalkbeat.org/2024/12/04/l...
Do consumer protection laws apply to literacy instruction? This lawsuit says yes.
Two Massachusetts families say Lucy Calkins, other literacy specialists, and their publisher willfully ignored heaps of research that their methods for teaching reading were shoddy, then charging for ...
www.chalkbeat.org
December 6, 2024 at 10:39 AM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong

features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
December 4, 2024 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
A class-action lawsuit was filed today in Massachusetts against the publisher, Heinemann, its top authors Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, and Columbia University. www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...
Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective'
A class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts claims that the educational publishing company Heinemann falsely advertised its products as “research-backed” and “data-based.”
www.apmreports.org
December 4, 2024 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
“American students turned in grim results on the latest international test of math skills — adding to a large body of research showing significant academic declines since the Covid-19 pandemic began.”
"Overall, American students’ performance in math was similar to their performance in 1995, when TIMSS was first given — a notable stagnation, given the energetic movement to improve American schools over the last three decades." www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/u...
U.S. Students Posted Dire Math Declines on an International Test
On the test, American fourth and eighth graders posted results similar to scores from 1995. It was a sign of notable stagnation, even as other countries saw improvements.
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2024 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Missy Purcell
We have a real problem on our hands. We need to stop pretending we don’t.

“American students’ math scores took a bigger hit from the pandemic than their peers overseas, according to a closely watched international exam.” www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
December 4, 2024 at 11:32 AM
“The lawsuit alleges that the defendants falsely marketed their literacy products as “research-backed” & “data-based,” failed to “warn” consumers that the products lacked sufficient phonics instruction & continued to sell those products when they were inadequate.”

www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...
Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective'
A class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts claims that the educational publishing company Heinemann falsely advertised its products as “research-backed” and “data-based.”
www.apmreports.org
December 4, 2024 at 8:51 PM
🎄”The best way to spread Christmas cheer is learning about inclusion here!”🎄

Buddy the Elf shows us that with the right supports, everyone can thrive! From Least Restrictive Environment to Accommodations, Buddy’s journey is a heartwarming example of inclusion and acceptance. 💚
December 4, 2024 at 12:02 AM