by David Safier
Man, it feels nice to have some good education stories to tell. I know, I know, there are good stories to tell every day. But two of these really sing, and the third, while I'm a tad skeptical, looks like it's worth cheering for.
- William Yslas Vélez has taught math at UA for 32 years. "He gave up a career in research to focus on student outreach." His passion is turning students into math majors, especially minorities who are led to believe they can't master the subject. His technique? "He started by asking minority students who enroll in calculus to meet with him for 20 minutes. Besides course preparation, Vélez talks to them about the opportunities that come with studying math." He follows up with emails, keeping tabs on the students and encouraging them. It's such a simple idea, a combination of caring, enthusiasm and putting in the time. Those are usually the best ideas, especially in education.
- In the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, principal George Bickert thought the students at Tohatchi Elementary could do better. When he began, he "learned his students' names. He gave them smiles, hugs and high fives. He led early morning basketball games . . . Bickert turned academics into a challenge, one that he believed these students could win. And win they did." He did stupid stuff like shaving his head when the students made "adequate yearly progress." Students and staff ate it up and worked harder. The results? "Tohatchi boosted its math scores from 15 percent of the students being proficient in 2006 to nearly 78 percent this year. Reading scores rose from nearly 28 percent of the students being proficient to almost 71 percent this year, according to state data." Here's what one student said about his improvement: "'We worked so hard on it, and I'm proud of myself because I amaze myself by what I can do,' Darius said. He wants to be a doctor and live in Los Angeles or Atlanta." Caring, enthusiasm, putting in the time. Always a great idea.
- Students in Wellton Elementary in Arizona have taken a leap in their reading scores. The school attributes the success to Reading First, a phonics based reading program promoted by the Bush administration. But the school has gone beyond the program, giving students who are still struggling intensive "reading intervention." My problem with the phonics-based approach is that students learn decoding skills, which don't always translate into greater comprehension when they hit the 3rd and 4th grade. But if this staff is motivating their students to read and enjoy reading, I'm on their side all the way. Technique is only one part of teaching and administrating. Caring, enthusiasm, putting in the time. That's the rest.
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I respect and agree with what you’re saying. Phonics as part of a language-rich program makes a great deal of sense to me. However, the Bush administration cooked the books on their reading programs, basically selecting only one rather than giving schools a number of viable options to choose from. Based on the research done on the program, the results have been mixed at best
But when a dedicated group of teachers enact a viable program with care and energy, good things generally happen. That can be true with the Reading First approach as well as others. You’re right, I’m a high school teacher, but I’ve read lots about the program from teachers’ and researchers’ perspectives, so I’m not basing my opinion on my teaching experience.
Reading First Schools must use research based reading programs and provide tutoring. It’s part of the deal to get the money.
The most current research on reading supports phonics instruction. The purpose of phonics instruction is specifically to teach decoding. Students usually learn to decode by the end of First Grade. In any effective reading program, comprehension strategies and analysis of text are taught alongside of the phonics. After grade one, reading instruction is built around comprehension of various genres of text, fiction and non-fiction.
Phonics is only one part of a comprehensive reading program, but it is a necessary part, recognized as such by the National Reading Panel.
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/
I believe you taught high school, David, and high school reading is all about comprehension. However beginning reading involves different skills that build reading automaticity and fluency so one CAN comprehend what’s being read. No reputable reading program teaches phonics without teaching comprehension.