2022 BACK TO SUPPLEMENTSCHOOL SPONSORED BY: Improving Reading Outcomes in School
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER NEWSPAPER (ISSN#0741-9414) is pub lished weekly on each Thursday. Periodi cals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. News and ad vertising deadline is Monday prior to pub lication. Announcements must be received two weeks prior to event. Copyright 2016 by The Washington Informer. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send change of addresses to The Washington Inform er, 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20032. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Informer Newspaper cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Subscription rates are $45 per year, two years $60. Papers will be received not more than a week after pub lication. Make checks payable to: THE WASHINGTON INFORMER 3117 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E Washington, D.C. 20032 Phone: 202 561-4100 Fax: 202 www.washingtoninformer.comnews@washingtoninformer.com574-3785 HABIT! 202-561-4100 Ron Burke
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By Dr. Shantella Y. Sherman WI Special Editions Editor Georgia’s 1829 Anti-Literacy Act stated: “…if any slave, negro, or free person of color, or any white per son, shall teach any other slave, negro, or free person of color, to read or write either written or printed characters, the said free person of color or slave shall be punished by fine and whipping, or fine or whipping at the discretion of the court; and if a white person so offending, he, she, or they shall be punished with fine, not exceeding five hundred dollars, and imprisonment in the common jail at the discretion of the court before whom said offender is tried. With this law, Governor George R. Gilmer solidified the role of state governments in suppressing knowledge and aggressively positioning literacy as the key component to personhood and citizenship. Given that both enslaved and free African Americans found themselves subject to the same restrictions, gaining access to and mastering the very valuable tool of literacy, fueled daily life. African Americans found continued barriers to accessing literacy into the 1950s when libraries, including Purcellville Library in Loudoun County, Va., pro hibited Blacks from accessing or checking out books in libraries.
NEWSPAPER READING IS ADON’THABITBREAK THE
InJacksonMemoriamDr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark
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Undeterred, African Americans created their own private libraries, reading clubs, and literacy councils. They also researched, wrote, and published their own books, illuminating the importance of literacy. In places like Louisville, Kentucky, the Black residents in 1905, opened the first free public library for African American readers staffed and operated entirely by African Americans. This brief history lesson establishes a clarion call to return to literacy in Black America as a necessity of life.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a sector of the U.S. Department of Ed ucation, Black students often lack necessary reading proficiency and comprehension skills. One national test last year, scored only 18 percent of Black 4th-graders proficient or above in reading; for 8th graders, the per centage fell to 15 percent. [White students charted equally dismal scores, with less than 50 percent proficiency on the same tests; only Asian students charted high proficiency at 89 percent.] In the District of Columbia, more than 70 percent of the 4th grade children in DC scored below basic on the NAEP. “We need to get back to basics and refrain from blaming the kids, the parents, the neighborhoods, the teachers, and the mayor,” retired schoolteacher Rosalee Stoddard told the Informer. “The truth is that we are not working together as a community to ensure the success of the children in the nation’s capital. We are not supporting parents or teachers, and the children cannot be expected to perform successfully without thatStoddard,support.”who has worked for Philadelphia, Texas, and D.C. school systems said that with the additional burdens D.C. students faced learning to read under COVID mandates to go virtual, all children became “at-risk” for falling behind. So, what do we do about this? We work to kick things up a notch or two. We set aside gimmicks and fad fixes, and instead develop activities supported by homes, libraries, churches, and recreation centers that reinforce the instruction provided by teachers. This Informer Back to School supplement reopens the dia logue on what tools young people (and adults) need to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Let’s return to the days of fighting for our literacy. Read, Learn, & Grow Dr. Shantella Sherman
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PUBLISHER Denise Rolark Barnes D.STAFFKevin McNeir, Senior Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Editor, WI Bridge DC Jamila Bey, Digital Content Editor
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REPORTERS Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Aja Beckham, Ed Hill, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Editor), Hamil Harris, Curtis Knowles, Brenda Siler,Lindiwe Vilakazi, Sarafina Wright, James Wright
Austin Cooper, Our House Editor Desmond Barnes, Social Media Stategist ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Angie Johnson, Office Mgr./Circulation Angel Johnson, Admin. Asst.
5 Dr. Shantella Sherman (Photo by India Kea)
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Foundation.todisadvantage,one-yearaccordingtheChildren’sReadingStudentswhoarebehindwhentheystartkindergartenmakeupthelargestportionofschooldropouts.Thesestudentshavealessthan12%chanceofattendingcollege,accordingtotheChildren’sReadingFoundation.
Fourth grade students, overall, improved 5 points between 1992 and 2017, while 8th grade students, overall, improved 7 points between 1992 and 2017. About 27% of eighth grade students are below basic reading level, per NCES. Another 39% are below the proficient reading level. Children of adults with low literacy skills are 72% more likely to be at a low reading level in school, according to ProLiteracy.
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By Lee Ross / WI Staff Writer
H-3 2022 BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLEMENT / www.washingtoninformer.comBS-3 On average, in 2017, female 8th graders scored 10 points higher than male 8th graders on the reading portion of the Average National Assessment of Educational Progress. Some 4.5 million young adults (aged 16 to 24) are “disconnected” — mean ing they are not in school or working, according to Measure of America. These individuals often lack a high school diploma or GED. Students who are behind typically make only one year’s worth of progress at each grade level, keeping them behind their classmates throughout school and making them more likely to repeat grades.
Some 34% of students are below basic reading level in the fourth grade, according to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Another 31% are below the proficient reading level.
Open to 3rd - 8th grade students enrolled in D.C. public, charter, private, parochial or home schools.
By the Numbers
For our Prince George’s County Bee, please contact: Chauka Reid chaukareid@yahoo.com
About 80% of children living in economically disadvantaged communities will lose reading skills over summer breaks due to a lack of access to books and other resources, according to Reading Is Fundamental.
Registration opens August 22, 2022 Contact your school coordinator or call The Washington Informer at (202) 561-4100 Will you be the next D.C. Spelling Bee Winner?
Two out of every 10 children enter kindergarten with skills two to three years lower than their grade level, and another two, start school with a
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WELCOME BACK, DCPS FAMILIES and EDUCATORS! DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS START AUG. 29. WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE. Washington Teachers’ Union educators are excited to start the new school year.
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The mem bers of the Washington Teachers’ Union, other school employees, students and their families know the start of a new school year brings ener gy, excitement and hope. Working together, teachers, parents and stu dents will continue to overcome any challenges—pandemic or oth erwise—to ensure our students re ceive the best possible education. This culture of resilience gives all of us a terrific launching pad for the 2022-23 school year.
WTU members will do every thing we can to make this a great school year for each and every child. We are committed to building on last year’s Thankssuccess.toagrant from the Amer ican Federation of Teachers, the WTU helped schools restart school gardens, schedule school trips, hold proms, produce school plays, open school libraries, provide a new book for every child who got vaccinated and hold end-of-school activities. But we must do even better. And we can do better. To do better, we must face facts and be honest with the public and each other. District of Columbia Public Schools has one of the low est retention rates for teachers in the nation. According to a 2020 D.C. State Board of Education report, “on average 25 percent of public school teachers leave their school annually, compared to a national average of 16 percent and 19 percent in oth er urban cities.” This unacceptably low retention rate has terrible con sequences for our students. And this report came out before the pandem ic and today’s teacher shortage that is sweeping the nation. The 2020 report identified the main factors for the district’s high teacher turnover, and things haven’t changed since then. It said the topdown teacher evaluation system has “created a polarizing environment and has become one of the leading drivers in teachers exiting. This eval uation system has left teachers frus trated and scared.” The report also mentioned burdens with work cul ture and workload, lack of support for teacher safety and mental health, and tensions with school leaders. There is no better example of that tension than the fact that the WTU teachers’ contract expired nearly three years ago. In this time of high turnover, teachers have not had a cost-of-living increase or changes to improve their working conditions. The small increases that only some teachers receive don’t come close to keeping up with inflation. School leadership needs to stop stalling negotiations with unreasonable re quests and remember who actually teaches the students—teachers. To keep teachers, the district will have to do Otherbetter.areas that the WTU will focus on this year include: • Continuing our work to re duce opportunity gaps, including to improve literacy, especially in underserved areas. We’re thrilled that—working with city leaders— every school now has a librarian. But that funding runs out at the end of the upcoming school year. Given the importance of the work of school librarians, we will work to ensure that funding school librari ans is an ongoing budget item.
New School Year, Renewed Hopes and Dreams
• Expanding communi ty schools. Community schools should be much more prevalent in the district. They offer students in-school wraparound services—of ten provided by the city, non-prof it groups or businesses—to help overcome consequences of poverty. Depending on the schools’ needs, these could include health clinics, programs to help with social and emotional needs, food and cloth ing banks, tutoring and after-school enrichment programs. Community schools are extremely successful in helping students overcome chal lenges and be able to concentrate on school.Wehave a lot of work to do this year. We pledge to work with fami lies and communities to help ensure that every student gets the educa tion they deserve.
We’ve all been through a lot in the last couple of years, and we honor the educators, school employees and families for their heroic work in getting our kids through it all. We are committed to focusing on helping all DCPS children recover and succeed, by giving them the knowledge, skills, and social and emotional support they need to thrive. Our message to everyone: WORK HARD, DREAM BIG AND BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. And remember: All students must have an up-to-date immunization certification on file with their school within the first 20 school days or they will not be able to attend school or school activities. Free vaccinations are available at school-based health centers, mobile vaccination units and Saturday vaccination block parties at schools. COVID-19 vaccines are available at D.C.’s COVID Centers in all eight wards.
www.wtulocal6.net
1. Be Wise: Immunize! All students must be up-to-date on all state-mandated vaccines before the beginning of this school year. The Prince George’s County Health De partment is hosting community and school-based clinics all month. For in formation on dates and appointments, visit toEligiblewww.pgcps.org/immunizations.studentsarealsoencouragedgettheCOVID-19vaccine.
5. Spread the Word: Join #TeamPGCPS PGCPS is seeking dynamic profes sionals, including teachers, nurses, bus drivers and support staff. Visit www. pgcps.org/careers to explore opportu nities for the 2022-23 school year with the #1 team. Substitute teachers and paraprofessionals are also a critical part of school communities. Openings for short and long-term substitutes are available with higher salaries.
Student Orientation Day (Aug. 26) PGCPS will host orientation for pre-kindergarteners, kindergarteners and new students along with new middle school students and rising ninth grad ers. First Day of School (Aug. 29) PGCPS will welcome back all students for the first day of school. Share your back-to-school moments on social media with #PGCPS1stDay. For more information on the 2022-23 school year, view the Back-to-School Guide at www.pgcps.org.
5 Tips to Prepare for the School Year
Back-to-School Drive & Dash (Aug. 20) Families are invited to the annual backpack and school supplies giveaway at High Point, Charles Herbert Flowers and Oxon Hill high schools beginning at 9 a.m. and while supplies last.
4. Get Transportation Help Questions on student bus assign ments? Our Transportation Call Cen ter (301-952-6570) will be open to assist families prior to the first day of school from 8:00a.m. - 3:00p.m. on the following dates: Saturday, Aug. 20, Sunday, Aug. 21, Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28.
#OnePGCPS: What You Need to Know for Back-to-School!
Submitted by Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is Maryland’s second-largest school district, but when it comes to teachers, administrators and students, the district is second to none!
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3. Stay Connected! Don’t miss important news and up dates: Make sure contact information is updated in SchoolMax. Sign up to receive newsletters, text and email alerts on the PGCPS website and fol low PGCPS on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn).
This year, CEO Dr. Monica Goldson has encouraged the PGCPS community to be lieve in the “power of one” — each individual working collectively to build a thriving system of teaching, learning, equity and excellence. “Families, educators, and staff are all integral to the success of the PGCPS community,” said Dr. Goldson. “This school year, stay informed and get involved — whether through volunteering, becoming a community partner, participating in a school PTA/PTO or giv ing your best every day.” In preparation for back-to-school, take note of key dates and tips to start off strong. Back-to-school is as easy as A-B-C with these top tips to get ready for #PGCPS1stDay!
2. Apply for Free Meals Families must complete the Free or Reduced Price Meals application for students to receive free break fast and lunch at school. The federal waiver that provided free meals for all students during the pandemic has expired. This school year, families who do not qualify for free or reduced meals will be required to pay. Visit www.myschoolapps.com to apply.
Education Matters in the Classroom and the Home reading materials, children naturally gravitate towards sound reading skills and become proficient. Another idea suggests that reading is a series of strategic guesses based on context, and that kids should be taught these guessing strategies. In the final anal ysis, researchers have concluded that reading is a code, with combinations of letters representing certain sounds – and phonics—is still believed the most reliable way to teach reading. Reading scores for American stu dents have dipped consistently for many years and educators like Res ton-based teacher Sarah Flagstaff believe that changing the downward slide requires more action and less research.“Theamazing Marva Collins was my role model, and I followed her example of digging my feet into the soil, planting my will for student success deep, and bending to meet the individual challenges each stu dent faced in learning how to read,” Flagstaff told the Informer. “Her students came from marginalized communities where books were not inside homes, parent literacy was low, and income was scarce – but the kids thrived because she would not allow them to use those markers as barriers to Atsuccess.”Collins’ Westside Preparatory in Chicago, the teachers’ credo, “I will never let you fail,” established a cov enant between teacher and student, but also parents (and community volunteers) with educators to ensure that they worked in tandem to reach academicYolandagoals.Brown, a retired Chicago teacher who studied under Collins said she has grown dismayed by the decline in reading scores across the nation.“Marva would always say, ‘Don’t try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior.’ With a myriad of resources at the ready and accessible, there appears to be a disconnect that we must address,” Brown said. “Let’s start with us.” Brown notes that the classroom works to support the language skills already being taught at home –namely, speaking, but in a new form: print. She said the American Federa tion of Teachers, among others, notes that the language spoken in Black homes (African American English or AAE), for instance, varies slightly from the English standard (General American English or GAE) taught in classrooms. This is known as being bidialectal.Atschool entry, AAE speakers have less exposure to GAE and subsequent ly may lag behind GAE speakers be cause their language experiences prior to school entry do not always include GAE. Similar lag shows in bilingual children, who need extra time and support to become fully proficient in both their home language and En glish. Some suggestions from Amer ican Educator contributors, Julie A. Washington, Mark S. Seidenberg: Expand teachers’ knowledge of language variation. As part of their the use of sight words or phonics, combinations of the two, the use of cultural sensitivities for Black and Hispanic children, and the role socio economics may play in comprehen sion outcomes. All the while, fewer young people learn to read. Education Week note that one theory suggests that reading is a nat ural process, like learning to speak. Consequently, if teachers and par ents provide environments of quality
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By Lee Ross / WI Staff Writer Across the nation educators con tinue to struggle with a new normal in deficiencies in reading and com prehension skills. While scientific evidence explains why our standard approach to reading instruction fails – particularly for African American children – few concrete policy chang es exist to shift declining reading scores. Instead debates rage on over professional training, prospective teachers usually are made aware of a number of cultural differences that may affect education. However, language variation and its impact on reading and instruction are rarely em phasized.Expand children’s knowledge of language and the world prior to school entry. Many AAE-speaking children are less ready than their peers to benefit from reading instruc tion on the first day of kindergarten because they are not familiar with the school dialect. AAE speakers could gain greater facility with GAE in a language-intensive pre-K environ ment that provided rich and abun dant access to both oral and written language.Useclassroom materials and prac tices that are effective with AAE speakers. The curricula and support materials produced by major educa tional publishers assume that GAE is the language of the child and the classroom. Classroom teachers (and school systems) should work to de velop materials and practices on their own.Provide enough time on task. Sensitivity to the time a child who is becoming bidialectal may need to master a new language skill is critical ly important. A child who has more to learn to reach a goal needs more time to get Respondthere.constructively to AAE use in the classroom. Teachers face difficult choices when students use AAE in the classroom. If AAE is viewed as “bad English,” the response may be to provide a GAE correction, which conveys to children that their home language is bad. It should be possible to help children learn the classroom language variety without negative messages about AAE. Recognize the impact of bidialectal experience on comprehending and producing language. Becoming flu ent in using two languages or dialects is a positive achievement, but slower responses and other “errors” may oc cur because the child’s knowledge of the two codes and how to use them is still developing, not because the child lacks the ability to learn. WI
By Dr. Sophia Sparks / WI Staff Writer
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Tips for Strengthening Literacy for the School Year and Beyond
Times for these events de pends upon your child’s age. Check out the local library near you for event details.
Start reading early Reading to children at an early age helps promote a love of reading but also assists with language development. Children learn language through interactions like conversation. Think of reading as having a conversation with your child. The more you talk to the, the more they will understand.
Attend storytelling events
Children must learn to focus and work things out for themselves – with the care and boundaries set by adults. Learning to read chal lenges their vision, ability to pronounce, comprehend, and interpret what they’re reading. This process should not be forced or hurried. Encourage their progress; Reassure them through missteps
Reassuring youngsters that they are doing just fine, allows them to soldier on through the process of learning to read without feeling humiliated, afraid to make errors, and confident they can become great readers. Learn together
Many households experience difficulty supporting children and young adult with literacy because the adults also need a bit of sup port. There is no shame in needing to improve literacy skills. Find an adult reading class either online or through your local library or literacy council. Learning together strengthens the entire family, as well as the communities in which you live. WI
The public library holds free story telling events weekly. Since re opening after the pandemic, many libraries also have a virtual op tion (www.Facebook.Com/Dclibrary).
Utilize Camps Beyond socialization, camps provide peer-to-peer learning. This sup port allows the exchange of information from peers and not just an authority figure. The way information is conveyed makes the difference in whether an individual will grasp the concept. Learning a concept from someone on your level is at times better than from an instructor. School Breaks Summer and holiday breaks routinely create learning loss. The term is now used to describe the academic achievement decline in a child after returning to school following the days and weeks of closed classrooms. Stimulate your child’s mind in activities focused on all subject matters he/she engages in during the regular school term. Wonderful resources are museums and library events. Be patient with your child
Resources for Parents
By Lee Ross / WI Staff Writer
https://reachoutandread.org/ Everybody Wins DC
Reading Partners has been part of the educational landscape in Wash ington, DC since 2010, when we first began placing community vol unteers in Title I elementary schools to support students in mastering essential reading skills. Our one-on-one tutoring model empowers young readers to succeed in reading and in life through the engagement of com munity volunteers who provide individualized, personal attention to each student in our program. Facing a school year of uncertainty due to COVID-19 in 2020-21, Reading Partners collaborated with teachers and school leaders to meet students’ learning needs, including creating an innovative online tutoring program that can be used to support stu dents when in-person tutoring is not an option.
https://readingpartners.org/ Reading is Fundamental Reading Is Fundamental is committed to a literate America by inspir ing a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to make an impact and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. RIF the nation’s largest children’s lit eracy non-profit, and believes every child deserves an opportunity to own books, learn how to read, and obtain the fundamental building blocks to achieve their highest potential. Literacy opens doors and enables every child the chance to live their own journey.
At Reach Out and Read believes all families should have the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. They help integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development. Their program books reflect the widest possible representation of the children and families they serve, with stories that are relevant and engaging, accurately reflect and affirm a diverse range of identities, cultures, and histories, and contain illustra tions that are colorful and recognizable to young children.
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https://www.rif.org/ WI
LiteracyNeighborhoodandActivists
https://everybodywinsdc.org/ Reading Partners
Reach Out and Read
Since 1995, EWDC has used books and reading to help children de velop the foundational skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond. We build social-emotional skills, support literacy fluency, and foster a love of reading and learning. We change children’s lives for the better. But it isn’t just the children who benefit from reading. By creat ing connections through reading, we help whole communities thrive. When everybody reads, everybody wins. Today, EWDC offers students, schools, and community partners three distinct reading-based programs designed to fill critical support gaps for children so that they can have a fair and equitable shot at success.
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Submit!Save.Click.
By Dr. Elizabeth Primas School systems across the country are looking to provide a balanced in-person learning experience for all students. COVID-19 prevented many students from participating in direct teacher instructions, peer-topeer learning, and interaction. Data indicates that learning loss due to COVID has had a greater negative impact on people of color, low-in come students, English Language Learners (ELL), and students with disabilities.Inpreparation for students re turning to in-person learning, Fed eral funding provided states revenue to improve classroom environments. Specific improvement options in cluded improved HVAC systems (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Con ditioning), and/or classroom filters. Schools have taken a close look at room organization to maximize space to allow for safe distancing for students and staff. However, the guidelines for safe distance between individuals has been removed. Parents are preparing their chil dren to ensure a safe return to in-person learning. The usual list of school supplies: paper, pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc., has been expanded to include tissues, hand sanitizers, wipes, and properly fitted masks. On August 11, 2022, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dropped some recommendations. CDC removed the recommenda tion to keep students in cohorts. They changed recommendations regarding screen testing to focus on high-risk activities, such as in-door sports that requires close contacts between students breathing hard, like contact sports, band, and choir. CDC removed the recommenda tion to quarantine unless symp tomatic, and recommended that individuals should wear a mask. Stu dents will no longer be required to Test to Stay. Schools will provide di rections on when to wear masks, All students that feel more comfortable continuing to wear a mask, should be protected and allowed to wear masks. Students that live in a highrisk home (elderly parents, immu nocompromised family members, or family members that cannot be vaccinated, like babies or pregnant mothers) should wear a mask to prevent transmitting of the virus to family members. In addition to COVID-19 and its variants, parents must be concerned about the recent reappearance of Polio, a disease eradicated in the US since 1994. Many parents have opt ed not to take recommended vac cines, including that for polio. The CDC maintains the Child and Ado lescent Immunization Schedule. for most school districts, students need a back to school physical, which in cludes a review and update of gener al vaccinations based on age. Some waivers are allowed on an individual bases. The recent identification of polio further shows the importance of receiving and maintaining up-todateGettingimmunizations.childrenready for school goes beyond immunizations, and school supplies. Helping students prepare to learn includes ensuring that they get enough sleep (8-10 hours). That they have a healthy diet, which includes fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, and carbohy drates, while limiting sugar, salt, and junk food, like sodas, chips, cookies, andFinally,candy. the focus of school is learning. Education begins at home. Parents need to provide a well-lit, quiet area for students to study and do homework. Research indicates that having a home library with between 40 – 80 books, vastly im proved success in both reading and math. Students between birth and 8 years old should be exposed to pic ture books, rhyming books, number books, nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Beyond having books in the home, parents need to read to their children daily for 15-20 minutes. for students 3rd grade and up, home libraries should have a variety of books covering topics in all content areas. Children will be more engaged in books that are interested in, even if they are above their reading levels. Many public libraries have programs that will provide free books monthly for children birth to 5 years old. In addition to free books through the public library, children birth to 5 years old, are also eligible to receive free books from the Dolly Parton Book Program. For students not el igible for free books, a public library card, allows students to check out books for free. Each city or state of fers free library cards. However, New York Public Library has made their on-line collection available to any one, regardless of where they live. Be prepared, enjoy your school year!
It’s not too late to go to college this fall! The DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) will provide up to $10,000 a year to help cover tuition at participating colleges and Touniversities.beeligible for DCTAG, you must be 26 or younger, a DC resident with a high school diploma or GED, and meet a few other requirements. Click on dconeapp.dc.gov, upload a few documents, then submit! Apply by August 19, 2022
NewGethttps://imaginationlibrary.comhttps://openlibrary.orgLearningProgramsSchoolsOperationalWorldumes/71/wr/mm7133e1.htmhttps://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volHealthOrganization (WHO)GuidanceforK-12andEarlyCareandEducationtoSupportSafeIn-Person|CDCaFreeLibraryCardToday!|TheYorkPublicLibrary(nypl.org) WI
Students Across the Country are Heading Back to School, Getting Students Safely Back in School, is a Major Focus for Parents.
Improving Literacy in America: Guidelines from Research By Frederick J. Morrison, Heather J. Bachman, Carol McDonald Connor An alarmingly high number of American students continue to lack proficiency in reading, math, and sci ence. The various attempts to address this problem have all too often resulted in “silver bullet” solutions such as reducing class size or implementing voucher programs. But as the authors of Improving Literacy in America
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Affirming Black Students’ Lives and Literacies: Bearing Witness
Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap
By Arlette Ingram Willis, Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon, Patriann Smith
Support
show improving literacy also requires an under standing of complex and interrelated social issues that shape a child’s learning. More than twenty years of research demonstrate that literacy success is determined by a combination of sociocultural forces including parenting, preschool, classroom instruction, and other factors that have a direct impact on a child’s development. Using the most up-to-date research on the diverse factors that re late to a child’s literacy development from pre school through early elementary school.
By Elizabeth McHenry
The racial achievement gap in literacy is one of the most difficult issues in education today, and nowhere does it manifest itself more per niciously than in the case of Black adolescent males. Approaching the problem from the inside, author Alfred Tatum brings together his various experiences as a Black male student, middle school teach er working with struggling Black male readers, reading specialist in an urban elementary school, and staff developer in classrooms across the nation. Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap addresses the adolescent shift Black males face and the societal experiences unique to them that can hinder academic progress. Tatum bridges the connections among theory, instruction, and professional development to create a roadmap for better literacy achievement.
Show your school spirit! Donate at your local Safeway store today. This campaign is managed by Albertsons Companies Foundation, doing business as Safeway Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization. our local schools
Readers: Recovering the Lost History of African American Literary Societies
Drawing on the authors’ experiences as Black parents, researchers, teachers, and teacher educators, this timely book presents a multipronged approach to affirming Black lives and literacies. The authors believe change is needed—not with in Black children—but in the way they are perceived and educated, particularly in reading, writing, and critical thinking across grade levels. To inform literacy teachers and school leaders, the authors provide a conceptual framework for reimagining literacy instruction based on Black philosophical and theoretical foundations, historical background, literacy research, and authentic experiences of Black students. It includes counternarratives about the lives of Black learners, research conducted by Black scholars among Black stu dents, examples of approaches to literacy with Black children that are making a difference, conversations among literacy researchers that move beyond academia; and a model for engaging all students in literacy. WI
By Alfred W. Tatum
Over the past decade the popularity of Black writers including E. Lynn Harris and Terry McMillan has been hailed as an indication that an active African American read ing public has come into being. Yet this is not a new trend; there is a vibrant history of African American literacy, literary associations, and book clubs. Forgotten Readers reveals that neglected past, looking at the reading practices of free Blacks in the an tebellum north and among African Americans following the Civil War. It places the Black upper and middle classes within American literary history, illustrating how they used reading and literary conversation as a means to assert their civic identities and intervene in the political and literary cultures of the United States from which they were otherwise excluded.
By Lee Ross / WI StaffForgottenWriter
Recent & Recommended Books on Improving Black Literacy
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