Dear Colleagues,
This weekend I received the latest issue of the
International Reading Association’s Reading Today magazine. I was
hoping to find an article that would inspire my weekly communication with
you. I was reading an article by a professor at the University of Albany,
State University of New York, when I became inspired. Our curriculum team
is in the process of evaluating all of the district’s textbooks and resources
in order to determine those content areas that are in the greatest need for
updated materials. We are cognizant of the fact that your materials must
be aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards. Granted, it is challenging
to teach these new standards with outdated resources. Donna Scanlon
(2013) brings up an interesting point in her article that I read. In
2008, she and her colleagues conducted a study in which they provided
professional development that emphasized comprehensive and responsive literacy
instruction to kindergarten and first grade teachers. These teachers were
not from the same school district, but rather from multiple districts in which
a variety of literacy programs and practices were in place. Scanlon and
her colleagues noted that these teachers, after having received focused
professional development, were able to reduce the number of children in their
districts who demonstrated literacy learning difficulties by approximately
50%. This study suggests that teaching has a greater impact on student
success than programs do. What you do in your classrooms makes all the
difference! In an effort to continue to provide you with professional
development that is aligned to Ohio’s New Learning Standards, we will soon
launch our district professional development program that will provide you the
opportunity to showcase your expertise, grow as leaders and collaborators and
enable our students to compete in a global society. So, please stay
tuned! Enjoy your week and continue to offer up your very best
instruction.
Dr. Lynne S. Kulich
Coordinator of Instruction
