Posts tagged Literacy
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A book-of-the-month club for infants and toddlers aims to narrow the achievement gap
A new proposal to send a book a month to every DC child under five could help narrow the yawning literacy gap between poor and higher-income kids, which has its roots well before kindergarten. But ultimately, disadvantaged kids will need a lot more assistance than a book a month to catch up to their more affluent peers. Spurred by low achievement among DC’s low-income and… Keep reading…
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One struggling reader plus another may equal a boost in reading skills for both
A DC nonprofit called Reach Incorporated hires struggling high school readers to tutor struggling elementary school readers. It may sound counterintuitive, but both groups seem to benefit. Fewer than 20% of DC 8th-graders read at a proficient level, according to national test results last year. The proportion of proficient 4th-grade readers is only slightly better. Where… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Back to Latin at some schools, onward to technology at others
Latin and literacy: Some educators, including a few in DC, are advocating spoken Latin as a remedy for literacy problems, including those among low-income and special-education students. At School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Latin begins in preschool. (Post) Keep reading…
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The promise, and the limits, of tutoring
Tutoring can be an effective way to bring a struggling reader up to grade level. But, as I discovered when I volunteered with one highly regarded tutoring program, it isn’t always easy. And it may not be the whole solution to a problem that is at the root of the achievement gap. If a child isn’t reading on grade level by 3rd grade, chances are she’ll never catch up. Keep reading…
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Morning Bell: Teaching myths debunked
Fourth-grade shift a myth?: New neuroscience casts doubt on the idea that children shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” in 4th grade. A study found that even 5th-graders don’t process words as automatically as adults. (NPR) Keep reading…
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Morning bell: DCPS responds to competition from charters
Knocking on students’ doors: DCPS is sending principals door-to-door to boost enrollment, with training provided by political campaign experts. (Post) Not enough coordination?: A new science-oriented charter school will open this fall across the street from a DCPS school with the same focus, leading DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson to call for joint planning between… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: The ups and downs of school choice
“Controlled choice” for DC schools?: An education think tank sponsored a panel discussion on how (or if) we can create a school assignment system that would create more socioeconomic diversity. (Fordham Institute) Or too few good choices?: One DC parent concludes that charters can’t solve the problem of educational inequity. (The Atlantic) Too much… Keep reading…
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How do you get parents to read to their kids? Get them to love reading
Students need to experience reading as a pleasure and not just as a chore. One DC program aims to nurture a love of reading in a critical population: DC students who are also parents. Twice a month, a group of high school students at Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC), a DCPS school serving 6th through 12th grades, gathers over lunch to read and discuss books. The students,… Keep reading…
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Thousands of DC kids will become dropouts unless they’re tutored in reading. Here are two ways to help them.
Well over half of DC’s 3rd graders read below grade level, a key indicator of trouble ahead. Two nonprofit programs aim to address that problem through tutoring. Both are getting promising results, but can either expand enough to serve the thousands of kids that need help? Children who can’t read on grade level by 3rd grade are 4 times more likely to drop out of school. Keep reading…
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DCPS looks toward a new chapter on writing
Last week, Natalie Wexler recounted her experience as a volunteer writing tutor at a high-poverty DC Public Schools (DCPS) school, and the fact that many students can’t write. DCPS officials sent us this follow-up. On behalf of the DCPS community, we would like to thank Natalie Wexler for her commitment to our students and for so thoughtfully highlighting an enormous… Keep reading…