Today's Reading News

The Voices of Young Black Males

Education Week

February 03, 2012

What do young black males say about what stands in the way of their academic success? Rather than rely on scholarly researchers to answer this question, the Phi Delta Kappan talked with a number of black males between ages 13 and 22 in Washington D.C., and Milwaukee, WI, to learn what they had to say.

Oregon Students Show Startling Rate of Absenteeism

The Oregonian

February 03, 2012

Nearly 1 in 4 Oregon students are chronically absent from school, with 130,000 missing at least 10 percent of school days during 2009-10, jeopardizing their odds of learning to read or graduating from high school. Those findings, in a study commissioned by the national school attendance advocacy group Attendance Works, were released Thursday to call attention to the problem and motivate schools to do more to identify and help students who miss a lot of school.

Opinion: Help Children Fall in Love with Reading

The Tampa Tribune

February 03, 2012

During Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!, the Department of Education highlighted the importance of literacy throughout the Sunshine State. On the heels of such an important message, it is empowering and important for parents to be reminded that they have the ability to help a new generation fall in love with reading, increase literacy rates, and encourage lifelong reading habits.

Connecting the Dots between Handwriting and High Scores

CNN

February 03, 2012

Penmanship. To grown-ups, the word conjures up memories of coarse sheets of paper with solid and dotted lines - and a pencil so big that you had to practically balance it on your shoulder to practice writing your letters. For some of today's elementary school kids, there won't be any memories of penmanship class. With classroom time at a premium and the common use of the keyboard, some school districts are abandoning handwriting as part of the curriculum. But Dr. Laura Dinehart says not so fast.

Reading Association Creates Literacy Research Panel

Education Week (blog)

February 02, 2012

The International Reading Association just announced the creation of the Literacy Research Panel, a group of researchers who will "respond to critical issues in literacy" by translating research into practical recommendations. The IRA has previously established its position that there is a gap between literacy research and practice. The panel will focus on four "critical issues in literacy": closing the achievement gap, student motivation and engagement, standards and assessments, and teacher education, according to a press release. Virginia Goatley, the organization's research director and a member of the new panel, said a number of factors led to the creation of the group, including the transition to the Common Core.

Educators Prepare for Core Standards

Northwest Missourian (Maryville, MO)

February 02, 2012

Students in the education department are seeing new changes being made to teaching standards across the country. The Common Core Standards were developed to ensure that all students, no matter where they live, would be prepared for success in post-secondary education and the workforce. The standards are optional, and states can adopt them if they choose to participate. While teachers and school board leaders will still make final decisions on curriculum, the lesson plan standards will help shape a new way of teaching for most educators. The uncertainty of this new program leaves many education students worried about the future. "It's a completely new way of teaching," senior Whitney Tuck said. "I am just worried I will not be able to help my students learn if I don't even know how to teach them."

For Black History Month, Children's Books Can Be Enlightening

The Washington Post

February 02, 2012

February is Black History Month, but you probably already knew that. But do you know why February and not March or May? In 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson decided that the contributions of African Americans should be recognized as a way to overcome prejudice that existed in the country. He thought that one week in February that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, the president who freed the slaves, and Frederick Douglass, the famous former slave, would be the perfect week. If you want to learn more about the experiences of African Americans in this country, here are some great books to explore — this month or any month.

SLJ's Battle of the Books Is Back

School Library Journal

February 02, 2012

Are you ready to see Brian Selznick duke it out with Gary Schmidt? Or Kadir Nelson rumble with Thanhha Lai? It's time for SLJ's Battle of the Kids' Books (BOB) again, and this year we've got another impressive lineup of titles and judges that is sure to get your heart pumping as we pit 16 of 2011's best books for young people against one another in a competition to determine the baddest of them all. How exactly does it work, you ask? Think of a smackdown of books, where fiction competes against nonfiction, fantasy with historical fiction, and dystopias with romance in a winner-take-all battle.

One-Room School Also One-Student School

New York Times

February 01, 2012

At a time when many schools are concerned about overcrowded classrooms, the Sunset school in this ranching community has a different problem — keeping its lone student at her desk so it can remain open. There are other schools in remote rural areas around the West that have only one teacher and one student, but the situation is even starker here. Amber Leetch, age 11, makes up the entire Sunset School District 30.

February Book Picks: 'Shooting Kabul' And 'The Hundred Dresses'

National Public Radio

February 01, 2012

America is full of families who originally moved to the country from somewhere else, and the next reading adventure for NPR's Backseat Book Club explores this theme in two books. These books, published more than 60 years apart, both explore what it's like to try to create a new home while still yearning for the home you've left behind. They have selected two stories that teach important lessons about accepting others, and going against the crowd when classmates are teasing or making harsh judgments.

Books for Reluctant Readers

Montreal Gazette (Canada)

February 01, 2012

Family Literacy Day, held each year on January 27, was established to encourage parents to spend 15 minutes each day reading to their children. But while many children love being read to, some have difficulty reading on their own. They may have a reading disability or simply not enjoy it. "Books are not necessarily geared to weak or reluctant readers. They need a series that really piques their interest," says Karen Steinbach, program coordinator in the Learning Disabilities Research Program at The Hospital for Sick Children. Here are some suggestions that reluctant readers may find appealing.

Schools Must Do More to Involve Parents, Students in IEP Process

Education Week (blog)

January 31, 2012

Parents and students with disabilities aren't as involved in the process of mapping out their goals with schools as much they should be, although federal law intends for parents and school staff to work together on these plans, a new study finds. The study, published this month online in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies, found that participation in IEP (Individualized Education Program) meetings varied based on the type of disability a student has, their family income, and their racial or ethnic background. Parents of students who had demonstrated "challenging" behavior at school, or who had poor social skills, reported they found meetings about their IEPs or transition from high school to college or work less than satisfactory, the authors found.

Cultural Literacy Through Reading

Redwood Falls Gazette (MN)

January 31, 2012

On what continent do you live?What are some of the activities that take place during a Chinese new year festival? Where do people speak Dutch? These are questions students at Reede Gray Elementary School were learning this past week through a new program being offered as part of the Redwood Area School District integration program. On any given day three new elementary school educators, Andrea Spanovich, Jenny Wagner and Sandy Lauer, are moving from classroom to classroom wheeling their cultural carts in and talking about different parts of the world and the people there. Although the intent of the program is to help broaden the horizons of students in Grades K-4, the goal is to incorporate that education into an already existing educational curriculum that helps improve reading skills for every student.

Reading Is Not a Race: The Virtues of the 'Slow Reading' Movement

The Washington Post (blog)

January 31, 2012

By slowing down, by refusing to see reading as a form of consumption or efficient productivity, we can attend to word meanings and sound, building a bridge to the oral traditions that writing arose out of. We can hold passages in memory, we can come to the view that good texts are inexhaustible. And by being patient and deliberate, we can tackle difficult texts. The goal of reading instruction should not be to rush this process, not to put students on the clock, but to say in every way possible — "This is not a race. Take your time. Pay attention. Touch the words and tell me how they touch you."

5 Questions with Children's Author Carole Boston Weatherford

Detroit Free Press

January 31, 2012

My books certainly get used a lot in the classroom because of (their) historical nature. Whether they read it themselves or whether they're told to read the book by a parent or teacher, the feedback I'm getting from kids is positive. The books enlighten, provide a window to the past and help them understand past injustices. More importantly, (the books provide) an emotional component to facts that they're learning in social studies. Social studies might teach them the dates and the facts about things that happened during the Jim Crow era or during the civil rights movement or slavery, but my books are going to show them the emotional landscape as well.

More on Observing Teachers, PreK-12

Early Ed Watch (blog)

January 30, 2012

New observation tools can help to build a "common language" of good teaching across the birth-through-3rd grade spectrum of education. These research-based tools — unlike the typical "drive-by" observations that teachers may be accustomed to — are designed to provide valid and reliable data on how teachers teach. People who work in Head Start may be most familiar with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), which has been used for professional development for several years and is now also used for evaluating a program's quality. But there are other tools as well. New ones are being developed for infant/toddler care. And several are making their way into use in elementary, middle and high schools.

'The Snowy Day': Breaking Color Barriers, Quietly

National Public Radio

January 30, 2012

One morning many years ago, a little boy in Brooklyn named Peter woke up to an amazing sight: fresh snow. Peter is the hero of the classic children's book by Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day, which turns 50 this year. Peter has a red snowsuit, a stick just right for knocking snow off of trees, and a snowball in his pocket. And, though this is never mentioned in the text, Peter is African-American. "It wasn't important. It wasn't the point," says Deborah Pope, the executive director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. "The point is that this is a beautiful book about a child's encounter with snow, and the wonder of it," Pope says. Peter was among the first non-caricatured African-Americans to be featured in a major children's book. But Pope says Keats — who was white — wasn't necessarily trying to make a statement about race when he created Peter.

AmeriCorps Volunteers Work to Boost Children's Reading Skills

InForum (Fargo, ND)

January 30, 2012

Scores of children in the Fargo, West Fargo and Jamestown school districts are part of a program organized by North Dakota's South East Education Cooperative called SEECing Student Progress. Volunteers work with children in kindergarten through fifth grade who often "fall through the cracks." They are the children who score just under average on literacy tests — 49 percent and below — who appear to be doing OK, but who could, with help, do a lot better, officials say. SSP is one of hundreds of programs under the umbrella of AmeriCorps, which is often called the domestic Peace Corps.

Mulberry Street May Fade, but 'Mulberry Street' Shines On

The New York Times

January 30, 2012

I was listening to the radio last week when I heard an announcer say that this year is the 75th anniversary of the publication of "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street." Dr. Seuss has sold 600 million books, so I figured there had to be something going on Mulberry Street. Springfield is where Ted Geisel was born in 1904 and thought his formative thoughts, before going off to Dartmouth in 1921 and becoming Dr. Seuss. I planned to reread several Seuss books for the visit, including "The Sneetches," but could not find our copy. It turned out that one of my 21-year-old twins, Adam, had taken it with him to college.

Bold Remake Proposed for Indianapolis Schools

Education Week

January 27, 2012

An Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization has crafted a sweeping plan for reworking the 33,000-student Indianapolis school system that would place the district under the control of the city's mayor, pare down the money spent in central administration, and give principals broad authority to hire and fire teachers.

Study: D.C. Schools Need to Change or Close

Washington Post

January 27, 2012

A new study commissioned by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray recommends that the city turn around or close more than three dozen traditional public schools in its poorest neighborhoods and expand the number of high-performing charter schools.

'Birmingham': A Family Tale in the Civil Rights Era

National Public Radio

January 27, 2012

Welcome to the fourth installment of NPR's Backseat Book Club, where they select a book for young readers — and invite them to read along and share their thoughts and questions with the author. The selection for January — The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis — describes the civil rights era from the perspective of a young (and extremely mischievous) boy and his family.

How to Draw... Wolves

The Guardian (UK)

January 27, 2012

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Not children's book author Nadia Shireen! She shows you how to turn one in to a great little drawing.

Brain Scans Can Spot Early Signs of Dyslexia, Study Shows

Huffington Post

January 26, 2012

Instead of waiting for a child to experience reading delays, scientists now say they can identify the reading problem even before children start school, long before they become labeled as poor students and begin to lose confidence in themselves. Although typically diagnosed during the second or third grade of school — around age 7 or 8 — a team from Children's Hospital Boston said they could see signs of the disease on brain scans in children as early as 4 and 5, a time when studies show children are best able to respond to interventions. The study builds on an emerging understanding of dyslexia as a problem with recognizing and manipulating the individual sounds that form language, which is known as phonological processing.

New Research on Behavior and Academic Achievement in Kindergarten

Early Ed Watch (blog)

January 26, 2012

When researchers and policy-makers talk about closing "achievement gaps," they are usually referring to gaps in academic performance correlated with students' socioeconomic statuses. Now a new study suggests that classroom behavior problems may be, in fact, an even more significant factor than family income on students' test scores, as early as kindergarten. The researchers used data from the U.S. Department of Education's 1998-1999 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study to sample and track more than 14,000 kindergarten students across nearly 900 private and public programs. Students were rated on two factors, attention skills and aggressive behavior. Students with attention problems had the lowest scores of all four groups; students who demonstrated aggressive behavior were substantially less disadvantaged academically than those with attention problems.