Education for profit has slowly crept into school systems under the guise of reform. It’s subtle at first, new reading programs, digital tools, data dashboards, but the effects are becoming unmistakable. Teachers feel it in their loss of autonomy. Students suffer through a patchwork of “solutions” that often don’t work. Meanwhile, companies supplying these methods are thriving. The result? A generation of learners still struggling with comprehension, while school districts double down on expensive, unproven fixes.

Education for Profit Is Undermining Real Teaching

Let’s be blunt. This isn’t about improving schools. It’s about money, education for profit. Districts are spending millions on “comprehensive” learning packages that promise miracles, often designed by companies with little classroom experience. The result? Teachers are pushed aside in favor of prepackaged scripts and step-by-step reading formulas.

These programs often sound impressive during district presentations. They come with flashy graphs, vague buzzwords like “data-driven,” and the seductive promise of closing learning gaps overnight. But here’s the catch: they rarely deliver. Not because the goals are flawed, but because the methodology ignores the most valuable asset in a school, the teacher.

The Cost of Replacing Teachers with Programs

Teachers, ironically, still carry the accountability. They attend Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) where they’re expected to explain data from programs they didn’t choose and don’t believe in. The logic? If student scores are low, teachers must not be following the program “with fidelity.”

But here’s what doesn’t get said out loud: using several conflicting reading methodologies at once isn’t innovative, it’s chaos. In some districts, teachers are expected to simultaneously juggle phonics-heavy methods, tech-based comprehension platforms, and district-created assessments, all while tailoring instruction for students with vastly different reading levels.

Meanwhile, reading comprehension continues to decline. Students make it to middle and high school still unsure how to draw meaning from what they read. And rather than empowering teachers to intervene, districts double down on new programs many of which come from the same companies that sold the last set of broken promises.National Council on Teacher Quality

Why Students Struggle When Reading Instruction Fails

It’s hard to overstate how deep the damage runs. Students are being left behind—not because they can’t learn, but because their instruction lacks coherence. One week they’re on a phonics app, the next they’re in a small group reading nonfiction, the week after that they’re testing again.

There’s no time to build stamina or confidence. No time for meaningful feedback. And no time for actual growth. Kids feel it. Many begin to assume they’re just not good readers. That belief can linger for years and sometimes a lifetime, The Hechinger Report on Reading Instruction.

This issue is especially pressing in underserved communities, where students often rely most on school for access to reading materials and adult guidance. When education for profit dominates, these students are hit the hardest.

Teachers Know What Works—They’re Just Not Allowed to Use It

Teachers have always had a complex job. But lately, complexity has turned into confusion. They’re navigating rigid curriculums, sudden shifts in district policy, and programs that override professional judgment. They aren’t being asked what works. They’re being told what must work, regardless of evidence.

The irony? Many of these mandated strategies contradict each other. For instance, a teacher may be told to emphasize decoding with struggling readers but then asked to focus on comprehension skills in the next lesson even if the students can’t yet read the words.

Teachers are skilled at adapting, but even the best can only juggle so much. Eventually, something drops. And unfortunately, it’s often student progress that pays the price. Learning Policy Institute: Teacher Autonomy

Who’s Benefiting from This Chaos?

Not students. Not teachers. But someone is. Education technology companies and publishing firms rake in billions from contracts with districts hungry for quick fixes. These companies promise streamlined solutions but often provide scripted, soulless materials that require teachers to follow rigid instructions instead of using professional intuition.

Meanwhile, the metrics used to justify these programs are often murky. Pilot results are exaggerated. “Growth” is measured in isolated skills, not genuine comprehension. Still, the cycle continues. A program fails. A new one is introduced. More money flows. Education Week: The Hidden Cost of EdTech

And yet, reading comprehension rates stay flat or decline. Students move on without mastering critical thinking or analysis. Teachers burn out. But the companies? They keep cashing checks.

So, What Needs to Change?

First, districts need to stop treating teachers like liabilities and start recognizing them as experts. Give them the tools, training, and time to do what they’re trained to do, teach.

Second, schools must commit to evidence-based practices that allow for flexibility, rather than rigid scripts. Real growth takes time, not just software.

Finally, the focus must return to student outcomes and not company profits. The question shouldn’t be “Which program did we buy?” but “Did our students actually learn how to read and think for themselves?”

This is not a radical idea. It’s just the opposite. And, it’s what education used to be before profit took over the classroom. Stanford CEPA: Literacy and Equity