Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

literacy

Lifting literacy

Tennessee
September 11, 2018

Summer camps lift reading skills for third straight year in Tennessee

Tennessee's campaign to help its children read better is seeing encouraging results from investments in school-based summer camps.

state test results

Colorado
August 16, 2018

With accelerated growth in literacy and math, Denver students close in on state averages

Still, fewer than half of Denver students in grades three through eight met state expectations in literacy, and only about a third met them in math.

exclusive

Tennessee
July 25, 2018

In his final months as Tennessee governor, Haslam reflects on his education legacy

In a wide-ranging interview, the outgoing Republican governor talks about achievement gains, TNReady disappointments, pre-K challenges, and what's next.

Silver Lining Playbook

Tennessee
July 19, 2018

Memphis’ youngest students show reading gains on 2018 state tests — and that’s a big deal

Those working to improve early literacy rates in Shelby County Schools got a small morale boost from newly released TNReady scores.

case closed

Detroit
July 2, 2018

Attorneys in literacy lawsuit plan to appeal federal judge’s ‘disappointing’ dismissal

A judge has dismissed Detroit students' federal lawsuit. Attorneys plan to appeal.

bolstering literacy

Tennessee
January 2, 2018

Four Memphis charter organizations pilot new reading curriculum

The literacy grants from Memphis Education Fund come at a time when local and state officials are doubling down on solutions to Tennessee’s reading challenges.

UPPING LITERACY

Tennessee
October 13, 2017

In their second year, Tennessee’s summer reading camps show improved skills for some

While testing data is available for only half of participating students, those who were assessed grew in their reading accuracy by an average of 4 percentage points.

collaboration station

Tennessee
October 11, 2017

KIPP launches collaborative with Memphis charters to improve literacy results

Eleven elementary and middle schools from four different charter organizations in Memphis have adopted the KIPP Wheatley curriculum.

new chapter

Tennessee
October 2, 2017

Memphis early education giant merges with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library affiliate

In an effort to bolster early literacy, the city's leading provider of early childhood education for poor children adds home book delivery to its services.

How I Teach

Colorado
August 15, 2017

This Colorado teacher doesn’t come to class with ironclad lessons. Instead, students help her plan along the way.

A teacher from Western Colorado talks about the woman who inspired her to teach, the importance of parent feedback and why she likes it when students laugh in class.

Stopping summer slide

Tennessee
July 13, 2017

On National Summer Learning Day, Memphis takes stock of programs for kids

Mayor Jim Strickland estimates that 10,000 children and teens are being reached this summer through various learning programs.

It takes a village

Tennessee
March 1, 2017

Nashville’s third-graders trail the state in reading proficiency. Here’s the city’s plan to change that.

As Tennessee grapples with its reading problem, Nashville kicks off its own literacy effort aimed at accelerating the reading skills of the city’s youngest students.

Read to be Ready

Tennessee
February 23, 2017

McQueen takes stock of Tennessee’s literacy campaign after first year

The state is making progress with its youngest readers, but still has a long way to go, says its education commissioner.

Leaving

Tennessee
February 21, 2017

Ramirez resigns as academics chief for Shelby County Schools

In a letter emailed to her colleagues, Heidi Ramirez says she is leaving her job “to be closer to loved ones and take on new challenges.”

Budget blues

Colorado
February 7, 2017

Is Jeffco Public Schools about to cut programs that haven’t gotten a chance to succeed?

In its bid to cut $20 million from next year's budget, Jeffco Public Schools is looking to eliminate two programs that have posted promising results so far.

Read to be Ready

Tennessee
January 24, 2017

$30 million grant will grow Tennessee’s summer reading program tenfold

A major investment by the State Department of Human Services will expand the reach of summer reading programs to 10,000 children.

Read to be Ready

Tennessee
September 26, 2016

In latest effort to combat lagging literacy rates, Tennessee launches reading coach network

The next step in Tennessee’s ambitious literacy plan is a three-year reading coach program that could reach up to 3,000 teachers.

First Person

National
September 20, 2016

First Person: What 100 ninth graders told me about why they don’t read

My students' answers — cell phone addiction, responsibilities at home, a lack of interest — were honest and illuminating. They're also helping me figure out how to help.

First Person

National
August 9, 2016

First Person: Black boys in ‘book deserts’ don’t get inspiring literary experiences. Let’s do better.

I’m suggesting we take the pressure off of individual teachers and parents and focus on advocating for more literate communities.

Summer camp

Tennessee
July 18, 2016

Can raising reading levels be fun? It was for these kids in Nashville

Summer camps funded through Tennessee's Ready to be Ready initiative give children a chance to become better readers.

equity and excellence

New York
May 27, 2016

City will hire 100 reading coaches to kick off of universal literacy initiative

New York City’s push to have every third-grade student reading on grade level will begin with a hundred educators dispatched to coach reading teachers in key districts.

Stopping summer slide

Tennessee
May 17, 2016

Twelve summer reading programs share Tennessee’s inaugural literacy grant

As part of a larger effort to lift lagging literacy rates, the Tennessee Department of Education names recipients of a $1 million grant for summer reading programs.

Dealing with dyslexia

Tennessee
March 14, 2016

Parents push for more screening, support for students with dyslexia

Parents across the state push for a bill that would require early screening for dyslexia, which affects up to one in five children.

Combating illiteracy

Tennessee
February 17, 2016

Why can’t Tennessee students read? State officials have a hunch, and a plan

Frustrated by stagnant reading scores, Gov. Bill Haslam and his education commissioner launch a major initiative to help Tennessee students read better.

Five questions

Tennessee
January 18, 2016

‘Keeper of the Dream’ recipient on why teen students should volunteer

A senior at Kingsbury High School, Marlena Mireles is one of three Memphis-area students to receive the 2015 award recognizing youth who are making a difference.

Looking back

December 22, 2015

Top 10 stories defining Tennessee education in 2015

From Race to the Top to pre-kindergarten to teacher pay, education was a hot topic in Tennessee.

Budget Preview

Tennessee
December 1, 2015

With state revenues rebounding, will Tennessee see more education spending?

When Candice McQueen makes her first state budget pitch, she'll offer a glimpse into how the state is responding to growing calls for change in the way it funds schools.

Digital Divide

Tennessee
November 23, 2015

Memphis Head Start leaders seek iPad investment for district’s littlest hands

The proposed purchase of 500 iPads for Head Start students would be a first-of-its-kind technology investment for pre-K students in Shelby County Schools.
New York
November 2, 2015

From ABCs to ‘Americanah,’ city hopes book lists will boost student reading

The city education department compiled lists of contemporary children’s and young-adult books as part of a new initiative called “NYC Reads 365."

Unified Vision

Tennessee
October 15, 2015

McQueen prioritizes literacy, early learning, teacher prep in five-year strategic plan

Tennessee's education chief announces a strategic plan to elevate Tennessee academically from one of the nation's lowest performing states to the top half in five years.

journalism in jeopardy

Tennessee
October 8, 2015

Memphis student newspaper’s future uncertain after funder pullout

For almost 18 years, The Teen Appeal has been bringing a form of literacy to students in Shelby County Schools. But its December issue could be its last.

Pre-K

Tennessee
September 24, 2015

Educators, researchers grapple with future of pre-kindergarten in Tennessee

A panel convened by Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education discusses what it would take to have high-quality pre-kindergarten programs across the state.

Literacy

Tennessee
September 3, 2015

As first concrete step of reading initiative, McQueen seeks educators for Early Literacy Council

The Department of Education seeks educators, community members to give input on sweeping literacy initiative

reading intervention

Tennessee
August 20, 2015

Tennessee rolls out sweeping literacy initiatives amid stagnant reading scores

Calling Tennessee's stagnant literacy rates a "true ethical and moral dilemma," Candice McQueen discusses her first major initiative as education commissioner.

Teachers' turn

Tennessee
July 16, 2015

Tennessee teachers school Haslam on testing, evaluations during first Teachers Cabinet meeting

Gov. Bill Haslam convenes the first meeting of his Teachers Cabinet by quizzing teachers on everything from professional development to evaluations to student testing.

it begins with books

New York
March 30, 2015

Making progress on a promise, Fariña brings books to homeless children

A year after vowing to put more books in the hands of homeless children, Chancellor Carmen Fariña has helped oversee the creation of small libraries at 20 shelters.
New York
February 6, 2015

‘Ready to read’? Why schools should reject the label and focus on solving the problem

Harlem Link's Steven Evangelista: What can educators and policymakers do about the word gap that lower-income children face even before kindergarten?

Bite size

Colorado
January 8, 2015

A new medium for early literacy tips: Texting

A new program from Bright by Three capitalizes on the growing momentum behind text messaging interventions by offering weekly text tips to parents of children 0-3.

beyond the marshmallow test

Colorado
November 12, 2014

New research on homegrown curriculum “Tools of the Mind” helps pave way for expansion

A curriculum called “Tools of the Mind,” which focuses on developing skills like self-control and attentiveness along with reading and math, aims to make learning more efficient and build valuable lifelong skills.
Tennessee
October 10, 2014

Rise & Shine: Shelby County Schools makes plans to close achievement gaps

expanded learning time

New York
August 6, 2014

Fariña: Books are the answer to everything

Students from seven middle schools and three community-based centers were at the event with Chancellor Carmen Fariña to celebrate the end of a reading pilot program called SummerSail, which aims to stem the "learning loss" that affects many students from low-income families when school is out. The implied goal: to make the students enjoy reading as much as Fariña does.
New York
July 22, 2014

Adult students with poor literacy getting short shrift, teachers say

A recent bulletin from the Office of Adult and Continuing Education urged principals to refer low-level students to free classes at the library. The department says referrals benefit students, but longtime adult educators are worried that the department is shortchanging the city's neediest adult learners.

Not Done Yet

New York
June 2, 2014

Years after Common Core's arrival, reading overhauls continue at top charter networks

The city's top charter school networks are continuing to overhaul their reading materials and methods to meet the Common Core standards years after they were adopted. The networks have moved with new urgency since pass rates plunged on the first-ever Common Core state tests.

Takeaways

New York
May 12, 2014

Some Common Core insights from a panel of experts: teachers

To give parents a glimpse into Common Core-aligned reading classrooms, Chalkbeat facilitated a conversation last week among three teachers that touched on close reading and textual evidence—and falcons and agriculture.
Colorado
May 9, 2014

Sheridan middle school shows off literacy push to parents

Ian Render, a Sheridan Middle School math teacher, shows parent Nora Munoz, right, how one of the school’s new math programs, ALEKS, tracks student proficiency. Munoz…

Anatomy of a lesson

Colorado
April 21, 2014

At Pueblo charter school, teaching literacy hasn’t changed much with new standards

Reading lessons may seem strikingly similar to lessons of yesteryear, even though this is the first year schools are supposed to be teaching to a new set of standards. For some Colorado districts, the new standards have meant a complete instructional overhaul. But at this Pueblo school, teachers began exploring the standards in 2010 and found that in most subjects, they only had to make slight shifts, said Natalie Allen, head of school.
Tennessee
January 22, 2014

With lawsuit settlement, Shelby County School officials shift focus toward academic improvements

With the municipality split and a subsequent lawsuit mostly settled, members of the Shelby County School Board and Superintendent Dorsey Hopson are shifting…
New York
January 14, 2014

How sticky notes help my students read novels independently

In a First Person piece, teacher Ariel Sacks shares a strategy she uses to help her diverse group of students read and understand whole novels on their own — an unusual goal for a middle school class.
New York
November 19, 2013

Middle school students trade TV for tutoring to boost reading

Tutor Aaron Whidbee with sixth-graders Elijah Parrilla (left) and Manuelle Lamboy, who attend a new extended-day tutoring program at the Highbridge Green School. It was nearly 5 p.m. on a recent chilly November afternoon — in other words, a time of television, text messages, and snacks for most middle-school students. And yet four sixth-graders at the Highbridge Green School in the Bronx were scouring a young-adult novel, “The Skin I’m In,” for clues about the way writers develop their characters. “I would like to add on to what Manuelle said,” said Elijah Parrilla, waiting for a nod from his after-school literacy tutor. “It says, ‘Good writers get close to their characters.’” The tutor, Aaron Whidbee, a former teacher from Yonkers, then asked another question about the chapter, and another student found the right answer. “You guys know what you’re doing here,” Whidbee said. Highbridge is one of 20 district middle schools in a pilot program run by the city and private partners that extends the schools' days by two-and-a-half hours — including an hour of small-group literacy tutoring for some students — in the hopes of raising students’ often alarmingly low reading skills. At Highbridge, for instance, 83 percent of sixth-graders read below grade level when they started the year.
New York
August 16, 2013

Identifying a weakness, Explore Schools shifts focus to literacy

A group of Explore teachers listen to a teaching training session on cognitive engagement in literacy at Brooklyn College on Wednesday. When second-year teacher Alyssa Reyes saw her fourth-graders’ state exam scores, she was surprised. Math was a lot higher than she thought it would be and literacy was lower than she expected, she said. The Explore Excel Charter School teacher attributed the disparity to the fact that last year her school didn't have a literacy coordinator, while it had a full-time math coordinator who was "exceptional." "She really challenged me as a first-year teacher to not only get good at planning but also be much more reflective about execution and coming back to help students with different learning styles," Reyes said. Explore Schools picked up on this network-wide weakness in literacy and has responded by adding full-time literacy coordinators to join the ones in math and increasing the time that teachers have to work together. It is also strengthening its shared literacy curriculum and pushing teachers to tackle bigger-picture goals like "cognitive engagement" in their classrooms. New York schools have known about the new Common Core standards for nearly three years now and were supposed to tie their instruction to the new standards for the first time last year. But the results of the state tests released earlier this month have made the changes a reality, and educators across the city are spending the waning weeks of summer considering how to adjust their teaching in light of the scores.
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