Beyond the Paywall: Teachers Deserve (Free!) Access to Quality Instructional Supplements

Teachers Pay Teachers. Share My Lesson. ReadWriteThink. Teachers can now peruse, buy, and sell millions of supplementary instructional materials online through widely-used platforms like these. While the sites vary in terms of traffic (56% of teachers report using Teachers Pay Teachers to plan a lesson), almost all teachers report searching the internet to find curricular resources. 

There are many reasons why teachers may source materials online: to address gaps in their district-provided curriculum, in response to time constraints, or to make lessons more enjoyable and relevant to students. When I was teaching, I used a combination of “borrowing” ideas I observed in other classrooms and my own internet-scouring, so I relate to the situation so many teachers continue to face.

But what do we know about the quality of the supplementary materials out there? A new study raises some serious concerns. 

The Fordham Institute-commissioned analysis of over 300 of the most downloaded English Language Arts (ELA) materials on three of the most popular sharing platforms found that most fell short on categories like quality, alignment to standards, and diversity. Researchers from the University of Southern California used a detailed rubric informed by “experts in assessment, standards alignment, curriculum development, and ELA content” to analyze the materials and found that overall:

  • 63% were “probably not worth using” or not recommended for use at all. 
  • 64% were weakly or not at all aligned to the standards they claimed to be.
  • 86% offered no supports for teaching diverse learners. 
  • None offered what the reviewers considered to be extensive supports for most or all likely student groups. 

So what should quality curriculum advocates and policymakers do with this information? 

The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development recommends actions like reevaluating curricular options, offering professional learning in selecting high-quality supplementary materials, and/or publishing a list of recommended supplements. EdCuration is one platform with information on curriculum supplements that offers expert reviews and validation of effectiveness. In North Carolina, the Department of Public Instruction has created resources to support educators as they develop or adopt digital learning resources. And as I’ve highlighted before, Tennessee educator survey results suggest that when a state provides strong support for a cohesive curriculum and aligned training, educators rely less on supplementary materials anyway.

Borrowing, scouring, and paying for instructional materials should not be go-to actions for educators today. As districts and states focus on quality core curricula, leaders must also consider whether and why teachers are searching for supplements – and support them with proven options for helping students grow.

Jocelyn Pickford is an education policy and communications specialist focusing on understanding and promoting practitioner-informed public policy across the private, public and non-profit sectors as a Senior Affiliate with HCM Strategists. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher in a regular and special education inclusion classroom and is now a public school parent and recent member of her local district school board. Previously, Jocelyn led the design, launch and implementation of the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education to integrate teachers into the national education policy dialogue. Jocelyn’s passion for her work was seeded during her own public school education and took root during her classroom teaching experience in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she led action research and presented instructional materials to a variety of audiences. Jocelyn earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College (CT), working as a professional writer and editor prior to becoming a teacher, and obtained her master’s in secondary education from the George Washington University. Jocelyn lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two children.