Passion for words buoys students, school [In Jeb's FL, another low-income "D" school is moving up]

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | June 9, 2002 | Leslie Postal

[DennisR]

Hope this gets the Dems jumping off buildings in desperation. :)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thanks for the ping summer. It's good to know they're feeling the heat and emphasizing reading. Sad they are in the position where they "have nothing to lose" because the failure rate is so high. Sad too that teaching reading makes the news. It should be a natural.

[MeekOneGOP]

bumpers!

[patriciaruth]

Bump!

[Izzy Dunne]

Thanks for the ping, summer.

The scores for the school's black students, who typically fared the worst, have improved, too. In 1998, 79 percent scored at level 1, compared to 47 percent last year. This year's scores broken down by race aren't yet available.

(Level 1 being the worst, not the best as you might think.)
This is remarkable, bordering on unbelievable. My first reaction is that they've cooked the books - it's a different test, or different school, or they've only tested three students.
If truly representative, then it should be held up as a model of what can be done.
Has someone informed the NEA?
I'm not holding my breath until they admit it's working...

[Izzy Dunne]

The program hasn't worked everywhere.
The Miami-Dade County school district put the program in about 35 schools, but all but eight dropped it after test scores failed to increase significantly. In Orange County, 13 schools once used the program, but, after uneven results, just four will keep it next year. Hamilton teachers who didn't like the program left. Parker asked others to leave because she said they weren't good with poor students.

Gee, one might get the impression that the quality of a child's education depends on the quality and attitude of the child's teachers!
The NEA will never stand for this...

[summer]

Sad too that teaching reading makes the news. It should be a natural.

You and I agree far more often than we disagree. Thanks for your comments, CW.

[summer]

Re your post #20 - That's a great topic for research. I wonder if anyone has tried to figure out the answer to your question. Thanks for your post, LarryLied.

[summer]

...If truly representative, then it should be held up as a model of what can be done.

I agree, and I appreciate you pointing out what an improvement this school has made. Thanks, Izzy Dunne.

[summer]

Thanks for bumping this thread! :)

[summer]

LOL....well, it just goes to show that Gov. Bush's comments in his tv commercials ARE accurate, even while the union seems to go nuts whenever any school improves under this governor.

[summer]

LOL....

[summer]

Re your post #17 - I'm sure you'll find an article on FCAT scores in their local newspaper.

[Tijeras_Slim]

A co-worker returned from a FL vacation yesterday, and being somewhat liberal they made some crack about the "other Bush Boy". I was able to make the case for Jeb quite nicely thanks to your posts. Since they have school age kids in the Albuquerque system (a predictable disaster), they were very interested about the Gov's reforms.

[summer]

I was able to make the case for Jeb quite nicely thanks to your posts. Since they have school age kids in the Albuquerque system (a predictable disaster), they were very interested about the Gov's reforms.

That's great to hear! Thanks, Tijeras_Slim. You made my day! :)

[catonsville]

When my daughter was five years old, I took her to the local library and got her first library card. I would take her there every other week or so and made sure she came home with stacks of the best kid books she could find.

As she grew up I bought encyclopedias, first the ones for kids, up to the Britannicas.

If you do not instill a love of reading very early, you are facing competition for a child's attention from TV, movies,and popular culture -which will dumb them down in a very short time. And in a society when knowledge is increasing exponentially, and the ability to read , comprehend and write well is very important, that child may have just become a loser.

My daughter is about to complete her MBA from Rollins College in Florida.

[LarryLied]

a great topic for research. I wonder if anyone has tried to figure out the answer

A good freeper question. When did you learn to read? Did you learn in school or on your own? What exactly did you learn in school?

I don't remember when I could not read. I didn't learn it in school. Did learn how to touch type in school. But before that I did pretty good with my own system. Learned a littel Latin too. That is about it for 12 years of confinement.

[mafree]

If you do not instill a love of reading very early, you are facing competition for a child's attention from TV, movies,and popular culture -which will dumb them down in a very short time.

You are so right- my father marched us to the library to get cards as soon as we could write our names and, along with my mother, made sure we read and stayed on top of issues. There is no substitute for that.

[summer]

A big BTTT to your post #36. (You would be amazed at how many kids don't even know where a public library is located.)

BTW, in addition to other fine qualities, Rollins has one of most beautiful college campuses I've ever seen. Congrats to you and yours! :)

[summer]

FYI.