The Right Way to Read

Newsweek

July 03, 2008

There's mounting evidence that many preschoolers need explicit instruction in the basics of literacy — the stuff most of us started to learn in first grade, how words fall on a page and the specific sounds and letters that make up words. New brain research shows that reading is part of a complex continuum that begins with baby talk and scribbles, and culminates in a child with a rich vocabulary and knowledge of the world.

Reading First Program Could Be on its Last Legs

USA Today

July 03, 2008

Is the federal government getting out of the reading business? The Senate and the House separately voted to eliminate funding for the Reading First program. Opponents say the program was an unproven magnet for corruption. But many educators say the money — about $17.7 million per state in 2007 — was a godsend, allowing them to train teachers in scientifically based reading methods.

More Words Make Better Readers

OC Register (CA)

July 03, 2008

HABLA — which stands for Home-based Activities Building Language Acquisition and translates to "speak" in Spanish — sends trained "coaches" to Spanish-speaking homes in Orange County armed with bilingual books and educational games. The goal is to help parents teach their toddlers the basics so they can excel in school as early as kindergarten.

Cracking the Comics Code

The New York Times

July 03, 2008

This children's book review looks at the "Fog Mound" series. In these books, the story unfolds in alternating chapters of prose and comics — a major advance in tricking children into reading.

Summer Reading Club Takes to the Web

Fort Bend Sun (TX)

July 03, 2008

Young people don't have to step through the doors of their neighborhood library to enroll in the annual Summer Reading Club. For the first time, this year, participants can register online on the Fort Bend County Library website.

Reading Aloud Better Prepares Kids for School

School Library Journal

July 02, 2008

There's more evidence that reading aloud to young children — especially in an engaging manner — promotes emergent literacy and language development and better prepares them for school. A new research study says the practice promotes a love of reading, which is even more important than improving specific literacy skills.

State Gets Leeway to Design Own Plan for Fixing Schools

The Washington Post

July 02, 2008

For many Maryland schools that miss academic targets year after year under the No Child Left Behind law, the stigma associated with needing help will ease under a precedent-setting program the federal government announced yesterday. Instead of lumping together chronically struggling schools with those that are generally strong performers but fall slightly short of targets, Maryland will have two accountability tracks: schools with "comprehensive" needs and those with "focused" needs.

Fewer Students Read Between Lines

Tampa Tribune (FL)

July 02, 2008

Despite a decade of education reform, tens of thousands of Florida's high school students don't read well enough to survive in the work force. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, thinks the nation fell behind when educators failed to realize reading instruction needs to continue in middle and high schools and when non-English speaking students poured into classes.

Making Books Part of Summer Break

Baker City Herald (OR)

July 02, 2008

Snow White and Pinocchio are among the audience that watches from above as eight lively children practice their reading skills. The brightly lit library at Brooklyn Elementary School has defied the odds — it remains bustling with educational growth even though school has let out for summer.

Aaay! The Fonz Wows at the Teaching Awards

The Guardian (UK)

July 02, 2008

The Fonz breezed into London today, wowing an audience at the Teaching Awards ceremony and lending a touch of his famous cool to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Winkler, who is in the UK to promote his Hank Zipzer books about a 10-year-old boy with dyslexia, has an infectious enthusiasm for the cause.

Laptops for Kids in Small Towns May Not Be Panacea

NPR

July 01, 2008

One Laptop per Child may have been thinking of the developing world, but cities such as Immokalee, Fla., feel its kids would benefit, too. But it's unclear how much the laptops can bridge the achievement gap for the kids of migrant workers.

New Reading Test Results Could Mean NC Schools Face Penalties

Times-News (NC)

July 01, 2008

Federal regulators are holding North Carolina to tougher academic requirements that will probably force more public schools to face costly penalties for failing to meet No Child Left Behind goals.

Setback for Philadelphia Schools Plan

The Washington Post

July 01, 2008

Six years ago, the Philadelphia School District embarked on what was considered the country's boldest education privatization experiment, putting 38 schools under private management to see if the free market could educate children more efficiently than the government. This month, the experiment suffered a severe setback, as the state commission overseeing Philadelphia's schools voted to take back control of six of the privatized schools.

Opinion: Create Memories Around Reading

Bugle-Observer (Canada)

July 01, 2008

Reading to little kids may be fun for them, but it's a high point of the day for most adults, too. It really is more fun to give than to receive when it comes to kids and reading. And as summer rolls around now and the vacation season looms, there's never been a better time to make reading an integral part of family life.

UK: Government Agrees to Rethink Early Years Curriculum

The Guardian (UK)

July 01, 2008

Ministers yesterday ordered a review of a new early years curriculum which requires all children to be able to write simple sentences and use punctuation by the time they start school after sustained opposition from childcare experts.

Elimination of 'Reading First' Funding Advances

Education Week

June 30, 2008

The full Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday approved a fiscal 2009 spending measure that would eliminate funding for the controversial Reading First program, while providing modest increases for other programs serving disadvantaged students and those in special education.

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Racial Gap Narrows, but What Did No Child Law Do?

USA Today

June 30, 2008

Math and reading test scores are up in most states since the No Child Left Behind law took effect in 2002, but it's impossible to know how much credit the law deserves, a new report says. In an exhaustive study released Tuesday, the Center on Education Policy also concluded that the historically wide achievement gap between black and white children has generally narrowed in many states — exactly what NCLB supporters said they wanted to achieve when President Bush signed the law.

All-Day Kindergarten Aids Students' Literacy Skills

Newark Advocate (NJ)

June 30, 2008

The Newark City Schools class of 2020 is off to a good start, district administrators said. The students just finished their kindergarten year, becoming the first class to attend all-day, every-day kindergarten at Newark. The students already are ahead of previous classes, said Julie Elwell, literacy coordinator for kindergarten through second grade.

Gender Not the Biggest Factor in Language Abilities, UCR Study Indicates

Press Enterprise (CA)

June 30, 2008

Karla Young, a reading specialist in Murrieta, believes she has proof that girls are better readers. Most of her clients coming for help are boys. "Males and females are absolutely different in the way they process reading," she said. Wrong, according to a three-year study that disputes the popular stereotype that women have superior language skills.

Summertime Reading for City Youth

The Daily Californian

June 30, 2008

Hundreds of young children in Berkeley, California sat in circles in the grass at James Kenney Park on Thursday, not to play Duck Duck Goose, but to read together as part of a reading promotion program this summer. Project BUILD, Bears United In Literacy Development, launched its fifth annual summer program on June 26 with hundreds of children from low-income backgrounds, along with program mentors, city officials and Cal Corps staff.

Universal Preschool Students Perform Better

USA Today

June 27, 2008

An ambitious public pre-kindergarten program in Oklahoma boosts kids' skills dramatically, a long-awaited study finds, for the first time offering across-the-board evidence that universal preschool, open to all children, benefits both low-income and middle-class kids.

Study: Gap Narrowing on Standardized Test Scores

Bucks County Courier Times (PA)

June 27, 2008

Something must be working. But what? The Center on Education Policy released a report this week that concluded standardized test scores are increasing across the country, and the achievement gap is narrowing. The reasons behind those facts, though, could vary for every state, district and even child, experts said.

High School Reading "Heroes"

Willows Journal (CA)

June 27, 2008

The "Heroes Program" employs nearly a dozen high school students to aide in a seasonal reading program for Head Start. The program will conclude its first year Monday, and all involved call it a success.

Literacy Center Opens in Bowman Building

The Winchester Star (VA)

June 27, 2008

Shenandoah University's new Claude Moore Center for Literacy will provide opportunities for children to become better readers and allow teachers to gain skills. Under the program, graduate students pursuing master's degrees in education with a concentration in reading are tutoring children.

'No Child' Lets Some Families Switch Schools

Nashua Telegraph (NH)

June 27, 2008

Although parents are often unaware of the provision, the No Child Left Behind law allows parents the right to move their children out of schools that are chronically underperforming. This article looks at which schools in Nashua must offer the option, and how they are notifying parents.