An extra $3.2 million can do a lot to improve reading and writing skills for students in Iola and area districts, a group of educators told USD 257 board members at their regular meeting Monday. The money is part of a literacy grant that will offer resources and training to teachers in seven districts.
Im excited about the professional development well be able to provide to teachers, Angie Linn, USD 257 curriculum director who worked with a team to win the grant, said. Having the money and the time to collaborate, thats huge.
Iola was selected for a three-year federal literacy grant administered through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Iola is part of a seven-district consortium through Greenbush, the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center; another nine districts received the same grant amount as part of a separate Greenbush group.
Iola teachers will be able to work with the other districts to improve literacy for all students, from birth through graduation. Theyll focus on three key areas: Providing education and resources to teachers to improve student literacy, working with preschool teachers to better prepare students for kindergarten, and improving writing skills.
Theres a quote from Greenbush that really sums it up, Briana Curry, instruction coach and part of the literacy leadership team, said. and improving writing skills.
Theres a quote from Greenbush that really sums it up, Briana Curry, instruction coach and part of the literacy leadership team, said. Use this opportunity to grow your staff and recognize opportunities to grow literacy skills in your kids all your kids, at all levels, at all times.
The first goal is to improve literacy by giving teachers more training and resources to help struggling students.
That could translate into time for special education teachers to meet with classroom teachers to assess a problem and find solutions, Jenna Higginbotham, instruction coach and part of the leadership team, said. It also could mean joint training sessions with teachers in other districts.
The second goal is to partner with preschool teachers not just USD 257s program but providers throughout the district to ensure students are prepared to enter kindergarten. The district could host literacy nights with parents, preschool and kindergarten teachers to talk about expectations. The literacy team could offer feedback and training to preschool teachers in areas where potential kindergarteners need help. About two-thirds of incoming kindergarteners attend some sort of preschool, Linn said.
The big thing is getting parents involved before kindergarten, she said. Literacy starts so young, even if its just parents reading to them.
The third goal is to improve writing skills. Much attention has been given to reading and math, with less focus in recent years on writing techniques, the team members said.
Writing is such a key part of life after high school, Higginbotham said. Most jobs require some sort of writing skill, like writing reports.
Writing also reinforces grammar, vocabulary and other literacy skills, Linn added.
Iola can expect to receive about $15,000 for its programs but also has access to the resources through Green-bush and the other districts.
The two Greenbush groups each received $3.2 million grants from the Literacy Network of Kansas, LiNK, as part of a $27 million grant from the U.S. Department of Educations Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program. It was one of the largest competitive grants KSDE has ever received.
