Julie H. Rucker
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Standard 4: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.
Questions:
How can a school partner with its community in a reading initiative?
What advantages will the schools gain by partnering with the community to help them reach a reading goal?
Situation:
In the county where Tannenbaum School District is located, 31% of all residents are functionally illiterate. More than 38% of the adults do not have high school diplomas, much higher than the 17% state of Georgia average. Poverty level for families in the community is at 23%, which Tannenbaum School District administrators attribute to a lack of education.
One school media librarian has implemented a reading program (Accelerated Reader) to great success with students taking over 50,000 tests the second year of the program's existence. The community has an educational foundation that awards grants; one of its grants started the AR program at this librarian's school. The community educational foundation wants to partner with all of the schools to create a community-wide reading program, based on the AR program, with the goal for the community to be the "Reading Capital of the World," earning 1,000,000 AR points.
While the community began to read, teachers in the system use programs like Literacy Collaborative and Reading Recovery to help struggling readers.
What School Administrators Discovered:
School administrators at the central office level looked at the research on this program and supported it whole-heartedly in an effort to raise students' reading scores as well as motivate all students to read. After almost three years of reading, students and their families helped meet the one millionth point mark. Three years later, the two millionth point was earned. The community set two reading world records, one with points and the other with a community assembly of children and parents (7500) reading aloud from the same book at the same time. Businesses within the community have set up "Book Nooks" around town where anyone who comes to the business can now sit and read while waiting. Each summer, businesses donate prizes for the summer community reading program. Local churches and civic organizations have even had friendly competitions with a "Reader's Cup" being awarded to the civic organization who earns the most points during the challenge period.
In addition to the community getting excited about reading, students' test scores are rising, which educators attribute to the positive focus on literacy within the community.
What Changes Will Be Made As a Result:
Because school administrators saw the positive results from the community reading program, they realize that parents and businesses are willing to partner with schools to meet educational goals. Principals all over the district have implemented AR programs within their schools from elementary through high school. Principals continue to partner with businesses to provide material incentives for students to read and earn AR points.
Responding to the Questions:
How can a school district partner with its community in a reading initiative?
Identify a program that will appeal to students and begin with a pilot program in one school. Based on the results of that program, begin implementation on a wider scale by inviting members of the community to participate with their children in the program. Offer incentives (material or just bragging rights) and have a reachable goal for which everyone will strive.
What advantages will the schools gain by partnering with the community to help them reach a reading goal?
- Parents/guardians will join with the schools to encourage and help students to reach their goal.
- Positive publicity will result, further strengthening the bond between community businesses and schools.
- The community will reach a goal of which they can be proud.
- All students and their families can participate in this program, no matter their race, gender, or socio-economic status.
- In the case with Tannenbaum Schools, the educational foundation donated .50 for every AR point earned to the school library designated by the reader, with over $30,000 being donated to school libraries in recent years.
- Test scores will rise because more students are reading and comprehending what they read.
Assessment of Administrators: Proficient
There is clear evidence that school admninistrators at the central office as well as the individual administrators investigated the research base associated with a particular reading program and decided that it would fit with the school community's reading goals. They also partnered with outside businesses and encouraged community participation in the program, rather than restricting its use to the schools. When families and communities, both important stakeholders of schools, are involved in learning initiatives, then students will achieve.