Staying Focused

I talk about school a lot, and when I do, I'm probably talking about 3rd grade reading. It is important to try to be fairly knowledgable and very focused.  

Focus is really hard.  Schools are big money, really complex, and  a central part of 13 important years in everyone's life.  Education isn't one issue.  It is made of several multi-facteted issues.  What is urgent to a high school senior is very different from a kindergarten teacher, a sixth grade music student, a freshman athlete, or about 100 other examples.  People call with legitimate but completely unrelated concerns, we have major challenges at certain schools that need attention now, and as a school board member there are routine operations that always need watching.

Oh, and we have to hire a new Superintendent by next June 30.  And I have a business to run.  And my family is more important to me than any of this stuff.  There are plenty of distractions.

Think of education policy like a supermarket aisle.  There are hundreds of products competing for attention.

 The product, or issue, that matters most is third grade reading proficiency.  There is a ton of information on this, and a concensus that if a child is not reading profecntly by the end of third grade, future success in school is unlikely.  The Campaign for Grade Level Reading  makes the case in more detail here: http://vimeo.com/28314194

So, how do we get 3rd graders reading?  There is plenty of information on the subject.  The Campaign for Grade Level Reading makes a strong case that every community can improve using stategies to increase school readiness, chronic absenteeism and summer learning loss.  These community initiatives are important.  In schools, a strong commitment to use effective assessment followed with timely, tailored intervention for kids who fall behind is known to work.

 So even when I try to focus on this one major issue, it morphs into many complex, far reaching needs on many fronts.  And then, to complicate things even more, there's news that reading by itself wont get it done.  If schools and families only attend to teaching reading well, they are on the wrong path.  Studys show that students who don't have basic pre-school MATH skills by kindergarten are unlikely to succeed in school.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/28/26stipek.h31.html   Another distraction?  Do I need to ignore this information in order to stay focused?

I don't think so.  The message is not a contradiction-it is actually common sense.  School boards make policy, and schools teach children.  There is a difference between what a school board member needs to focus on, and what a solid curriculum ought to be.  Focus for me is about keeping the problem front and center, ensuring the district is acting with purpose and vigor, and marshalling our resources.   It is not about reducing classrooms to a dry, endlessly remedial experience.  Great teachers and informed families want well rounded learning for their children. From birth through age five reading 20 minutes a day is one practice that makes a huge difference.   Surely there's also time to count, talk, sing and play- all this helps prepare a young child for success in school too.

Holyoke's 85% Early Reading Goal

A lot has happened since the last time I checked in here (Dec. 2010-guess I'm not much for blogging), and the best part is that all 4 goals I listed then have been met, and a full-on city-wide early reading campaign has been underway since May, 2011.  The Holyoke School Committee set an ambitious, urgent goal:  85% of all 3rd graders will be proficient readers by 2014.  Since we did so, we have learned a lot about what works and doesn't, where the schools need improvement and what they already do well do well, where to get the data we need.  I hope to explain in detail in the future.  

A good starting point is a publication, "Turning the Page",    Its one of the best resources for early reading practices I've seen:

http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/3research/10_TurningThePageReport.pdf

It guides our campaign.  If you care about improving public education in the cities, take the time to read this carefully.

We are not doing this alone!  Holyoke is now part of a statewide network formed this summer at a national conference in Denver.  Hopefully, this partnership with grade level reading campaign leaders in Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield to move policy and resources into successful early reading practices at the state and local level.  All five communities are also part of a national campaign with 124 communities across America working with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading:

http://www.gradelevelreading.net/

School starts next week, September is around the corner, and important milestones are coming.

Last spring's MCAS results will be released in September. The 3rd Grade English Language Arts scores are an important early sign of how well Holyoke's 85% Reading Goal is taking root.

Also in September, the Mayor will announce the appointment of Holyoke's community literacy coordinator; a person who will work full time to help every family of  Holyoke's children age birth - 9 in the city of Holyoke knows how to have children ready and able to succeed in school.  If we are going to succeed, connecting directly with families is essential.