Open Letter: Education Week’s Coverage of the Life, Career, and Death of Ken Goodman
Ken Goodman was known for his work in the areas of reading and literacy education. Photo courtesy of the Goodman family
Open Letter: Education Week’s Coverage of the Life, Career, and Death of Ken Goodman
Published on Radical Eyes for Equity | @plthomasEdD | Author of Beware The Roadbuilders: Literature As Resistance (Amazon); Trumplandia: Unmasking Post-Truth America (Amazon); contributing author to United We Stand Essays On Protest And Resistance (Amazon).
By Paul Thomas
The May 21, 2020 article in Education Week by Stephen Sawchuk fails to honor the remarkable life and career of Ken Goodman on the occasion of his death. Instead, the publication has used this significant loss to the field of literacy as well as the Goodman family and friends for yet another opportunity to perpetuate the misleading narrative about the “science of reading.”
While Ken Goodman spent his life and career dedicated to reading and literacy, leaving behind a legacy of wide-reaching influence through his scholarship and embodying an ethic of kindness and inquiry, the selective use of interviews and incomplete references to research in the EdWeek article construct a distorted and tarnished image of a powerful voice in the field of education.
There is ample room for scholarly debate and disagreement in the complex and still evolving understanding of how children learn to read; however, EdWeek has chosen a solemn moment to continue a single-minded and misguided refrain about the “science of reading”—at the expense of the dignity and respect many know Ken and his family deserve.
Those signed below find the EdWeek coverage both insensitive to Ken and his family, and harmful to the field of literacy and reading.
This is a new low in EdWeek’s role as a high-profile voice in education. By mis-serving Ken and the field of literacy and reading, EdWeek has further eroded the publication’s credibility.
Signed,
Shira Adler
MFA, Founder & CEO Synergy
Richard Allington
Professor Emeritus
University of Tennessee
Marcia Baxter
Literacy Coach Columbia, SC
Laurey Brevig Almirall, EdD
Third grade teacher, Port Washington School District
Delisa Alsup Ed.S
Reading and Literacy Leadership
Instructional Coach
Bess Altwerger
Professor Emerita
Towson University
Former School Board Member, Howard County, MD
Nancy Bailey, Ph.D.
Education Blogger
Kylene Beers, Ed.D.
Literacy specialist and educational consultant
Past-president National Council of Teachers of English;
Recipient of the CEL Leadership Award
Carrie Birmingham
Associate Professor of Education
Pepperdine University
Susi Bostock, Ed.D.
Elementary Education
Half Hollow Hills School District, NY
Dorey Brandt-Finell, Family Advocate and Educational Specialist
David Finell, Principal (retired)
Lois Bridges Ph.D.
VP/Publisher
Sally Brown, Ph.D.
Professor of Literacy Education
Reading Program Director
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Georgia Southern University
Charlotte A. Butler, MAELT
P-20 Literacy Coordinator (retired)
Lucy Calkins
Richard Robinson Professor of Children’s Literature at Teachers College, Columbia University
Founding Director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Professor Brian Cambourne, B.A. Litt.B (Hons), Ph.D A.M
Principal Fellow University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Cecilia Candreva, Ed.D.
Retired Elementary Principal
Franklin Square School District, NY
Rose Anne Casement
Professor Emerita
University of Michigan-Flint
Erika Strauss Chavarria
Spanish Teacher, Howard County MD
Linda Christensen
Director, Oregon Writing Project
Lewis & Clark College
Editor, Rethinking Schools
Editor Rethinking School
Ruby Clayton, Teacher
Indianapolis Public Schools
Gerald Coles,
Education Researcher
Reading the Naked Truth: Literacy Legislation & Lies (Heinemann)
Nancy Creech, Ed.D.
Elementary Teacher & Reading Specialist, Retired
Caryl Crowell, M.Ed, Ed.S.
Retired, Tucson Unified School District
Paul Crowley, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
Joan Czapalay,
Teacher, Educator (Nova Scotia, MSVU)
Parent and Grandparent
Diane DeFord
Professor Emerita and Endowed Professor
University of South Carolina
Benjamin Doxtdator
English Teacher, Education Writer
Corydon Doyle, Ph.D.
English Teacher Mount Sinai UFSD
Adjunct Professor Long Island University
Katie Dredger
Associate Professor
James Madison University
Peter Duckett, PhD
Bahrain Bayan
Kingdom of Bahrain
Carole Edelsky, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
Arizona State University
Eric W. Eye, M.A.
HS ELA teacher
Amy Seely Flint
Professor
University of Louisville
Barbara Flores, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
CSU, San Bernardino
Jennifer Flores
Tucson TAWL
Alan Flurkey
Professor, Literacy Studies
Department Chair, Specialized Programs in Education
Hofstra University
David E. Freeman, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
The University of Texas Río Grande Valley
Yvonne S. Freeman, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
The University of Texas Río Grande Valley
Peter H. Fries
Professor emeritus
Central Michigan University
Stefanie Fuhr, MEd
Suzanne Gespass
Carol Gilles, Associate Professor of Reading/Language Arts, Emerita
University of Missouri, Columbia
Debra Goodman
Professor, Hofstra University
President, Center for Expansion of Language and Thinking
Wendy J Trachtman Goodman, MA ED
36 year veteran classroom teacher
Vera Goodman
Teacher and Reading Expert
Creator of The Making Sense Approach to Reading
Calgary, Alberta
Yetta Goodman, Regents Professor Emerita
University of Arizona, College of Education
Helmuth Leal Guatemalan
professional in tourism and activist in improving the techniques of teaching in Guatemala
Kris Gutierrez, University of California, Berkeley
Xenia Hadjioannou, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Language and Literacy Education
Penn State Harrisburg
Sue Haynes, M.S. ed, M.ed, Literacy Specialist
Author of Creative Mavericks: Beacons of Authentic Learning
Dr. Roxanne Henkin
Professor Emeritus
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Past President
Literacies & Languages for All
Director Emeritus
San Antonio Writing Project
Jim Horn, PhD
Professor, Cambridge College
Dr. Mary Howard
Literacy Consultant and Author
Liz Hynes-Musnisky, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor, Department of Critical Reading
Nassau Community College
Ana Christina da Silva Iddings
Professor, Vanderbilt University
Lori Jackson,
Reading Interventionist and Coach
Debra Jacobson
Rosemarie A. Jensen, M.Ed.
UF ProTeach Grad
Bobbi Jentes-Mason, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita
Teacher Education
Nancy J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA
Katie Kelly, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Coordinator of Literacy Graduate Program Furman University
Gary Kilarr
Center for the Expansion of Language and Thinking
Dorothy F. King
Brian Kissel, Ph.D.
Dr. Dick Koblitz
Adjunct Professor at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri and Saint Louis University
Literacy Consultant
Alfie Kohn
author and lecturer / Belmont, MA
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Lorraine Krause
Retired teacher
Peter Krause
Retired Superintendent of Schools
Tasha Laman
Lester Laminack
Children’s Author
Professor Emeritus Western Carolina University
Christine Leland
Professor Emerita, Indiana University, Indianapolis
Georgia Leyden, MA in Education, Reading and Language
Retired first grade teacher
Retired lecturer, School of Education, Sonoma State University
Calvin A. Luker
Respect ABILITY Law Center
Co-founder, Our Children Left Behind
Elizabeth Lynch, Ed.D.,
retired elementary school teacher, Brentwood UFSD, NY,
former Adjunct Associate Professor, Dowling College, NY,
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Hofstra University
Gina Margiotta, NBCT
LAUSD
Prisca Martens
Ray Martens
Carmen M. Martínez-Roldán
Associate Professor & Program Director Bilingual Bicultural Education,
Teachers College, Columbia University
Stephanie L. McAndrews
Becky McCraw
Goucher Elementary
Cherokee County Schools
J. Cynthia McDermott
Dr. Theresa McGinnis
Associate Professor, Literacy Studies
Hofstra University
Jeff McQuillan
Independent Researcher
Rick Meyer, Regents’ Professor Emeritus
University of New Mexico
Alexandra Miletta
Ed Blogger
Kathryn Mitchell Pierce
Saint Louis University
Luis Moll
Emeritus Professor, University of Arizona
Reading Hall of Fame
Maureen Arnold Morrissey, M.ED.
37 year veteran teacher
Liz Murray, Ed D.
Michele Myers
Clinical Associate Professor
University of South Carolina
Jennifer Ochoa
8th grade English Teacher
Susan Ohanian
Fellow, National Education Policy Center
Mike Oliver, principal
Zaharis Elementary, Mesa Public Schools
“Zaharis Elementary School is standing on the shoulders of Ken Goodman.”
Richard C. Owen, Publisher
Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
Celia Oyler
Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
Glennellen Pace, PhD, Associate Professor Emerita
Lewis & Clark College Graduate School of Professional Studies
Portland, OR
Karen V. Packard, Ed.D
Retired teacher educator, Title 1 director, reading/language arts specialist and classroom teacher
Johnna Paraiso, EdD
Rutherford County Schools, ESL/ Adult Literacy Educator
Education Professor, Tennessee State University
Nancy Paterson, PhD
Associate Professor (Retired) Literacy Studies
College of Education, Grand Valley State University
Former Chair Middle Section, NCTE
Patricia Paugh
Associate Professor
University of Massachusetts Boston
Erica Ann Pecorale
Ann Peluso
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction (Retired)
West Hempstead School District, NY
Kathleen O’Brien Ramirez, PhD
Universal Multilingual Literacy
Patricia Reed-Meehan, Ed.D.
Literacy Teacher, NYC Department of Education
Adjunct Professor, EECE Queens College
Louann Reid, PhD
Professor of English Education
Chair Department of English
Colorado State University
Lynne Hebert Remson, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-F
Speech-Language Pathologist
Small Talk Speech and Language Specialists
Laura Roop, Director
Western Pennsylvania Writing Project
University of Pittsburgh
Elisabeth Costa Saliani, Ph.D.
William Floyd UFSD
20 year teacher of Elementary ENL
Lenny Sánchez
Faculty, Language and Literacy Education
co-Director, Bilingualism Matters @ UofSC
co-Editor, Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice
Sherry Sanden, Ph.D., NBCT alum
Interim Associate Director
Associate Professor, Early Childhood Literacy
Ronda Schlumbohm, M.Ed Reading
Grade 2, Salcha Elementary
Renita Schmidt
Associate Professor Emeritus
University of Iowa
Jean Schroeder
David Schultz, EdD, Retired
Long Island University Riverhead
Mattituck-Cutchogue School District
Sara H. Somerall
Louise Sweeney Shaw, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Curriculum and Learning
Southern Connecticut State University
Nancy Rankie Shelton, PhD
Professor, UMBC, Literacy Education
Ira Shor
Professor Emeritus
City University of NY Graduate Center
Marjorie Siegel,
Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
Flory Simon U of A Retired
Co-Director Southern Arizona Writing Project
Yvonne Siu-Runyan, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita, The University of Northern Colorado
Past President, National Council Teachers of English
Boulder, CO
Tracy L. Smiles, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita, Western Oregon University
Melinda Smith, MAEd
Elementary Teacher
Manhasset UFSD, NY
Patricia G Smith Ph.D.,retired
Federation University
Victoria, Australia
Ellen Spitler, PhD
Associate Professor
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Diane Stephens
Professor Emerita
University of South Carolina
Charlotte H. Stocek, Ph.D.
Steven L. Strauss, MD, PhD
Neurologist
Baltimore, Md
Denny Taylor
Distinguished Alumni, Columbia University
Distinguished Scholar, NCRLL
Inducted (2004) Reading Hall of Fame
Founder of Garn Press
Monica Taylor, PhD
Professor, Department of Educational Foundations
Montclair State University
P.L. Thomas, EdD
Professor of Education
Furman University
NCTE’s 2013 George Orwell Award winner
Serena Troiani Ph.D.
Elementary school teacher Port Washington UFSD, NY
Adjunct Assistant Professor Queens College, NY
Dr. Jesse P. Turner
Central Connecticut State University
Ruth J. Sáez Vega
Universidad de Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Meghan Valerio, M.Ed.
Doctoral Student & Graduate Assistant
Curriculum and Instruction, Emphasis in Literacy
Kent State University
Elisa Waingort
Classroom Teacher
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Russ Walsh
Adjunct Instructor, Graduate Education
Rider University
Yang Wang
Assistant Professor in Language and Literacy
University of South Carolina
Lois Weiner, Ed.D.
Professor Emerita, NJCU
Steve Wellinski
Associate Professor of Reading Education
Eastern Michigan University
Darlene Westfall, M.ED.
Special Education Teacher
Kathryn F Whitmore, PhD
Professor and Department Chair
Metropolitan State University of Denver
And PROUD student of Dr Kenneth S Goodman
Carolynn E. Wilcox, English Teacher,
Early College of Arvada and Affiliate Professor,
Department of English,
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Jeffery L Williams
Past-President of Reading Recovery Council of North America
K-12 Literacy Coach and Teacher Leader
Joan Wink, Professor Emerita
California State University, Stanislaus
Recommended