Taylor, MCRR help educators improve reading instruction
Central Elementary School in the Central Public School District has begun a year-long initiative to improve reading instruction with the help of experts at the College's Minnesota Center for Reading Research (MCRR). The school district serves Cologne, Hamburg, and Norwood Young America. Central Elementary was awarded one of five competitive grants statewide from the Minnesota Department of Education last spring. The grant provides a framework for job-embedded professional development for all educators who teach reading in kindergarten through third grade at Central Elementary.
The program is being led by internationally known reading researcher Barbara Taylor, who is also director of MCRR. The program itself is based on 10 years of study of effective reading instruction and effective schools.
Teachers and administrators at Central will meet at least twice monthly to discuss reading instruction, review reading assessment results, and learn from each other. A part-time literacy expert from the University will work with teachers weekly and University data collectors will compile data for teachers on their own instructional styles and their students' achievement.
"This is important work," Taylor said. "I applaud the teachers for their devotion to the significant amount of professional development in reading they have committed to in the coming year. I think parents should be very pleased to know how dedicated these teachers are to continuous improvement."
The funds are part of the federal Reading First Program, the major initiative under the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure that all children are proficient in reading by third grade. For more information on the Minnesota Center for Reading Research visit www.education.umn.edu/reading or call (612) 626-9147.