Hopeful news for some seriously struggling Kansas schools:
To help frustrated children...learn to read, the district is embarking on a new reading initiative in the 15 elementary schools with the lowest reading scores. The new program will begin Monday, when classes resume in the district.
In one of the schools, just 4 percent of third-graders were considered proficient on the state's communication arts test taken in April, while at another it was just 2.4 percent. Four other schools did not have a single third-grader considered able to read at or above grade level, and at one of those schools, half of the 52 students tested were deemed to have hardly any reading skills.
After days of intense training, more than a dozen elementary school teachers last week said they believe they have a new and crucial tool to turn those statistics around and ensure that each child in the schools can read well by third grade.
“For some kids, this is going to make a dynamic difference,” said Kacy Parker, a school district administrator.
Emphasis mine. So what's this revolutionary new method that's going to make such a dynamic difference? Well, it's....phonics. You know, the straightforward and effective language education method that was used in schools until the "progressives" came up with the "whole-language" program, which some say contributes to the recent rise in reading disabilities?
Apparently, the way to be truly progressive these days is to be...old-fashioned.
Update: Check my comments for a dissenting view, with lots of links, from Liz.
Posted by kswygert at August 25, 2004 09:15 AM