You May Be Eligible for Money to Support Your Child’s Reading Success

Dear Clever Noodle Community,

We’re reaching out with urgent and breaking news that could positively impact families and children across the nation, and earn you damages for your child being failed in reading instruction. 

Did your child’s school use the Lucy Caulkins Balanced Literacy disproven method to teach reading in K-2nd grades?  If so, you might be eligible for damages funds through a national lawsuit for harm to children.

If you are not sure which reading curriculum your child’s school uses, call the school and ask. Get the specific name.  If they report any of the following, you may have a claim to participate in a class action lawsuit:  

• Balanced Literacy
• Lucy Caulkins
• Readers/Writers Workshop
• Fountas & Pinnell (with this, you would have seen your child bringing home books to read that had an associate alphabet letter for the level, e.g., Level D)
• Leveled Readers  

If your child had one of these above and you are interested in being part of the class action lawsuit, please email us at hello@clevernoodle.com with your name, your school district, your child/children’s current grade level, and the specific curriculums used.

Just last Wednesday, a class action lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts Superior Court against Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas, Gay Su Pinnell, and several publishing companies, including Greenwood Publishing Group and Heinemann that sold these curriculums. These individuals and organizations are being accused of deceptively marketing reading curricula that ignored established scientific research on literacy instruction.

The lawsuit centers on the discredited "Balanced Literacy" approach, particularly the "Units of Study" curriculum developed by Lucy Calkins. This curriculum was widely adopted by schools—reportedly used in 60% of U.S. schools—and ignored the importance of systematic phonics instruction, a cornerstone of the Science of Reading approach. Instead, it emphasized strategies like the guessing method of “cueing”, guided reading and independent book selection that failed millions of children across the country.  These discredited curriculums and the associated professional development of teachers did not provide children with the foundational skills necessary for literacy success that were established in the National Reading Panel’s report of 2000.  This panel was commissioned by Congress and included 200 global researchers who came to the conclusion that there are 5 pillars of literacy that schools must teach.

The knowing denial of proven science by these curriculum companies is the basis of this lawsuit.  These companies earned millions of dollars on the backs of children - even when the science was unequivocally shared in 2000.

2/3 of children in the United States DO NOT read at grade-level by the critical milestone of 3rd grade.  Children learn to read until 3rd grade – and then read to learn.  Children in 4th grade on must read across their subjects from science experiments to drama scripts and math word problems.  

Of this 2/3 of children who do not meet this fundamental 3rd grade milestone, they are 4x more likely to drop out of high school and a tragic 75% of this group will never read effectively, causing not just a childhood crisis but an adult literacy crisis as well. 

If your child’s school used Balance Literacy and he/she is/was behind in grade-level reading or emotional developmental age-level —whether through educational delays or emotional struggles—you may have an opportunity to join this class action lawsuit. Parents nationwide are stepping forward to demand accountability and advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction in our schools.

To learn more about joining this legal effort or sharing your story, please reach out to us directly at hello@celvernoodle.com

Warm regards,

Jacquelyn Davis
Founder, Clever Noodle