SEDL Delivers Literacy Training to All 900 Recovery School District Teachers: Physical Education and Music Teachers Learn to Facilitate Literacy
September 6, 2007
Austin, TX
Contact:
Chris Moses
Director of Communications
Phone: 800-476-6861, ext. 216
E-mail: cmoses@sedl.org
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| Secondary Science Teachers: Leslie Scott, Clark High School; Kevin Akor, Clark High School, Albert Jones, John McDonogh High School |
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| 3rd Grade Teachers: LaSonja Thomas, Bauduit Elementary School; Mary Luisa Berojes, Sylvanie Williams Elementary School (Practicing Text Talk reading strategy) |
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| 3rd Grade Teachers: LaSonja Thomas, Bauduit Elementary School; Mary Luisa Berojes, Sylvanie Williams Elementary School; sitting is Kemberly Samuels, Reading Coach, Craig Elementary School. (Practicing Text Talk reading strategy with peers) |
New Orleans, LA, -- Teaching 900 teachers the fundamentals of reading, no matter their primary subject matter, was the focus of three days of intensive literacy training provided by SEDL instructors at Cohen High School in New Orleans, August 27 through August 29, 2007.
The training was provided by SEDL and sponsored by the Recovery School District (RSD), a special state school district administered by the Louisiana Department of Education, created to transform underperforming schools into successful places for children to learn. As of the 2007 – 2008 school year, the RSD operates 34 regular schools with approximately 13,500 students in New Orleans. All teachers and reading coaches in these 34 schools attended the training.
Regular and special education pre-kindergarten through 5th grade teachers, and elementary reading coaches spent two days in intensive training, and all regular and special education 6th grade through 12th grade teachers, and the upper grades reading coaches spent one day in training.
The training taught me how to help any child with reading,” said Missy Hotard, Laurel Elementary School reading coach. “Everything I learned was research-based and realistically ‘doable.’ I can make a difference with this knowledge.”
The RSD contracted with SEDL to provide this training to support all teachers, no matter their content area, in helping students increase their reading skills,” said Jill Slack, PhD, project director with SEDL’s Improving Scholl Performance Program in Metairie, Louisiana. “Reading achievement will improve because reading instruction will improve. As a result of the training, teachers are better equipped to teach reading to their students and to integrate literacy into the subject areas that they teach, even in physical education, math, or art.”
Participants each received a toolkit of effective strategies that link to the Louisiana content standards and grade-level expectations, as well as to adopted reading materials and subject area texts. Reading coaches will work with teachers to implement the strategies successfully in their classrooms.
SEDL instructors will continue working with RSD reading coaches throughout the school year. RSD reading coaches will have onsite SEDL mentors as they model lessons, observe classrooms, debrief with teachers, and help facilitate collaborative conversations.
"We are excited about this ambitious new effort to improve reading instruction in the RSD and look forward to working with district and school staff to improve their academic outcomes,” said SEDL CEO Wes Hoover.
According to Paul Vallas, RSD Superintendent, “our mission is to create a world-class public education system in New Orleans, in which every decision focuses on the best interests of the children. We are pleased to have SEDL on board to assist us with this charge.”
About SEDL
The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) is a nonprofit corporation based in Austin, Texas. SEDL is dedicated to solving significant education problems and improving teaching and learning through research, research-based resources, and professional development. For more information about SEDL, visit http://www.sedl.org/about/.