District Administration - January 2009 - (Page 78)

D District Administration ACHIEVEMENT GRANT Reading expert and author John Corcoran offers a unique perspective on the X-factor in schools today. JOHN CORCORAN TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL GRAMMAR, social studies and physical education for 17 years, made a career change and developed over $50 million in real estate. And at age 48, he learned to read and write through research-based literacy programs. He became an advocate for research-based reading instruction and tutoring, started the John Corcoran Foundation to help others with basic skill deﬁciencies, and authored two books on illiteracy. With his new book, e Bridge to Literacy: No Child—or Adult—Left Behind, published last October, he spoke with us for an insightful conversation on learning and reading in today’s schools. DA: What do you see as the X-factor in today’s public education system? JC: Literacy. There are serious deﬁciencies in basic reading, writing, spelling and comprehension. The dominant language in school is the written word. If teachers were taught how to effectively teach all children to read and write, our students would be able to succeed in the classroom, workplace and community. DA: How does that compare with what the X-factor might have been a generation ago? JC: It is different because of the technological demands and advancements we have today. If you can’t read, write and spell, you are going to be limited when it comes to the information highway and thus further behind. However, it should be different because today we have three to four hundred million dollars worth of research that tells us how to teach children to read. Ninety-seven percent of students in school can learn to read, and yet the statistics show us that the number of literate people in America is nowhere near 97 percent. Now we have the technology to assist teachers like never before. DA: How should we ﬁx this? You say the entire system is broken. JC: The key is proper instruction and properly trained teachers. I believe that the best research-based information and science need to be put into the hands of the practitioners that teach people to 78 January 2009 Guest Judge Gives Reading and Writing Another Chance Honorable Mentions Learning Café Phoenix (Ariz.) Elementary School District #1 THE CAPITOL SCHOOL in Phoenix, Ariz., is surrounded by run-down, industrial areas, liquor stores, motels and gas stations, and when students leave school, their homes serve as the only refuge to connect with friends. School staﬀ want to change this. ey want to create a student-run “Learning Café” with computer workstations where students can use AutoSkill’s Academy of READING and Academy of MATH software and earn “learning points” for meeting benchmark goals that could be redeemed for snacks, beverages, or prizes. e lounge could also serve as a student gallery, displaying projects and artwork. Says mathematics teacher Zachary Roper, “It would serve as the heart of our school community—a meeting area for school clubs and a showcase of the academic success of our student population.” Roper says a small structure could be purchased and/or constructed for $10,000 and inexpensively furnished. Staﬀ could buy a half dozen computer stations, equipped with the software, and remaining funds would be used to stock the café with food and prizes, which could be replenished through future donations and fundraising. Students would come after school to receive tutoring, help with homework, or just relax in a safe place with friends. read. We haven’t done that. DA: How do you prepare teachers to teach kids to read, and what does the science say in general? JC: There are the reading, writing, spelling, and comprehension components, and the components that we have to teach teachers. The ﬁve areas that the science lays out are phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and ﬂuency—those are the things that we have to teach kids. So we have to teach teachers how to teach that. And if we administer a diagnostic test, it identiﬁes the ﬁve points. It says, “There’s a weakness in phonemic awareness.” We must know the methodology, even though it’s not the only way to teach people to read. DA: How might you tie your personal story to that X-factor? JC: I believe that when we teach all of our children and all the people how to read, write and spell, we’re going to ﬁll a big hole in America’s soul, because that’s what I personally felt that reading did for me. And you know, I had to go back and make peace with myself and whom I saw as my oppressors. And the oppressors were people that didn’t teach me to read, or expected me to read. I mean, whether it was real or imagined, not knowing how to read … can make you kind of crazy. —Zach Miners www.DISTRICTADMINISTRATION.com Read more of Corcoran’s interview. Parent Empowerment Program Yonkers (N.Y.) Public Schools DESPITE GREAT EFFORTS, MANY schools are ﬁnding it hard to meet their annual yearly progress goals under NCLB, a challenge that can be linked to the diﬃculty English Language Learners (ELLs) have in meeting benchmarks on language arts exams. Yonkers (N.Y.) Public Schools is no exception, says teacher Helen Garcia. But ELLs are also often part of a well-connected family that has left another country and is adapting to a new culture and language. Immigrant families experience many challenges that can impact student achievement, District Administration http://www.districtadministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2009

District Administration - January 2009
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Security
Facilities & Construction
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Conversations
Leadership Books
Research Center
District Web Site Essentials
The Second Annual X-Factor Student Achievement Grant
Social Studies for the 21st Century
Tech Disruptions
Professional Opinion
New Products
Product Focus
Understanding the Times

District Administration - January 2009