ILEC
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024
7:00 PM, EST, 6:00 PM CST.
Dr. Paul Thomas
“Science of” Movements as Trojan Horse Education Reform [access PP HERE]
Poverty & Policy: The Stakes of the 2024 Election for Low-Income Americans.
- Wednesday, October 30
- 5:15-6:30pm
- Johns Hall 101
The CLP will feature the following Furman experts:
David Fleming, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Furman University (moderator)
Paul Thomas, Professor of Education at Furman University (education policy)
Ken Peterson, Professor of Economics at Furman University (economic and immigration policy)
Karen Allen, Professor of Sustainability and Anthropology (environmental policy)
Julie Linton, MD, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics, Prisma Health Children’s Hospital Upstate, USC School of Medicine Greenville, Professor in Furman’s Community Engaged Medicine (healthcare policy)
What Really Matters: I Am Thinking about People Tonight [click title for text of talk]
Slideshow [click for PP slideshow]
2024 NCTE Annual Convention
November 21–24
Boston, Massachusetts
11/21/2024
11:30 AM – 12:45 PM EST
Groundwork: Heart, Hope, and Humanity in Rural Education
Room 258 A
11/22/2024
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM EST
Resisting Scripted Curriculum as Erasure: Holding Onto the Heart, Hope, and Humanity of Reading
Room 210 B
Rountables Listing [click for PP]
Roundtable:
Paul Thomas
“Orange: Teaching Reading not Simply Black-and-White” [click HERE for PDF]
11/23/2024
2:45 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Standing for—Indeed, Fighting for—Teacher Professionalism and the Right to Teach Responsively
Room 205 A
Roundtables Listing [click for PP]
Opening Talk:
Paul Thomas
Attacks on Balanced Literacy Are Attacks on Teacher Professionalism [click title to access PP]
The “science of reading” movement has promoted a misleading story about reading through the media—reading proficiency is in crisis because teachers do not know how to teach reading and were not properly prepared by teacher education. This opening talk with argue that attacks on BL are grounded in efforts to deprofessionalize teachers.
Roundtable:
Paul Thomas
Reclaiming BL’s Commitment to Serving Individual Student Needs and Teacher Autonomy [click title to access PP]
Thomas will examine an authentic definition of BL as a reading philosophy that centers serving the individual needs of all students. He will examine also the caricatures of guessing and three cueing (MSV), providing attendees scholarly evidence for accurate characterizations of BL as well as deeper understanding of reading proficiency.
Literacy in the Disciplines 6-12
Webinar
December 10, 2024 – 6-7 pm
We Teach English in Times of Perpetual Crisis: Selling a Story of Reading (and Literacy)
English-speaking countries around the world are once again fighting another Reading War. In the US, the movement is called the “science of reading” (SOR) and the result has been intense media scrutiny of reading programs, teachers, and teacher education as well as highly prescriptive state-level legislation and mandates. Those of us who do not teach beginning readers are not exempt from the negative consequences of another Reading War. This webinar will briefly introduce the history of Reading Wars and identify the key elements of the SOR movement and why the public stories and legislation are poised to erase teacher autonomy and serving the individual needs of students.
Access PP HERE
Recommended Reading
English Journal Series: We Teach English in Times of Perpetual Crisis
CCIRA 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Session One — 10:15-11:45 a.m.
“Science of” Movements as Trojan Horse Education Reform [Access PP PDF Here]
In June 2024, the newly formed Evidence Advocacy Center announced plans to “[transform] the [teaching] profession into an evidence-based system.” However, the EAC admitted “educators will relinquish certain freedoms.” This session will examine the “science of” movements as a subset of a 40-year cycle of accountability-based education reform (Trojan Horse Education Reform) that de-professionalizes teachers and fails to serve the needs of students or public education.
Session Two — 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Big Lies of Education: “Science of” Era Edition [Access PP PDF Here]
Education practices and policy are often directly and indirectly driven by the stories told in the media, among the public, and by political leaders. This session will explore the Big Lies in the compelling but misleading narratives, including A Nation at Risk/education “crisis,” reading proficiency/NAEP, National Reading Panel, poverty as an excuse, and international test rankings and economic competitiveness.
Thomas, P.L. (2022). How to end the Reading War and serve the literacy needs of all students: A primer for parents, policy makers, and people who care (2nd Ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
PSLA 2025 Annual Conference
“Ignite the Literacy Light & Lead”
February 20-22, 2025
Hilton Beachfront Resort & Spa
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Panel Presentation: “Remaining Responsive to Learners in Challenging Times”
Saturday, February 22nd from 8:00-9:00 am
Palmetto Room
Furman University CLP
“Banned Together” Screening
Thursday February 27, 2025
6:30pm in Burgiss Theater
Panel:
Jennifer Wiggin, producer
Josh Malkin, SC ACLU
Paul Thomas, Furman University
SC for Ed Webinar: Understanding NAEP during Another Reading Crisis
Understanding NAEP during Another Reading Crisis
Click HERE for PDF of PowerPoint
March 20, 6:30 pm
A4PEP
The Manufactured Crisis: Exposing the False Narrative of Public Education’s “Failure”
Date & Time
Apr 16, 2025 08:30 PM EST
Description
Join us for a timely and vital conversation on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. ET with Dr. P.L. Thomas, Professor of Education at Furman University. For decades, media and policymakers have pushed a narrative that America’s public schools are “failing.” But who benefits from this story, and who is harmed by it? Dr. Thomas will expose how the education reform industry has fueled a false crisis, undermining trust in public schools while advancing corporate-driven reforms. Drawing on his experience as a teacher, scholar, and national award-winning writer, Dr. Thomas will offer critical insights into how we can challenge disinformation and reclaim a narrative rooted in equity, democracy, and community empowerment.
6:30 pm, April 16
[Click HERE for presentation]
dr. p.l. (paul) thomas 