Any school can teach a "natural reader," one who will learn in practically any setting with very little help at all. You want to find a school that "beats the odds," by teaching even the most hard-to-teach children to read.
Parent Involvement in Education — Ask Questions
When you are evaluating schools or teachers for your child, ask, "How do you help your most challenging students learn to read?" Then listen carefully to the answers. You should hear about practices like these, identified by the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA).
Schools Should:
- Build strong parent teacher communication.
- Plan to regularly measure student progress.
- Provide opportunities for teachers to communicate with one another.
- Ease collaboration among classroom teachers and reading specialists.
- Intervene early with struggling readers.
- Make reading a priority.
Teachers Should:
- Use small group instruction.
- Make time for students to read independently.
- Interact often with students.
- Communicate well with parents.
- Coach children to help them recognize words while they read.
- Explicitly teach phonics.
- Ask high-level questions about what children read.
Source: Taylor, Barbara M. University of Minnesota. Beating the Odds in Teaching All Children to Read. CIERA Report #2-006.; 734-647-6940.
Linda Wacyk is a former EduGuide editor from Grand Ledge, Michigan.