Reading Program

English language learners (ELL) are students who are not yet fully proficient in reading and/or speaking English. Learning a new language is easier for younger children, and older elementary children or teens have more difficulty gaining proficiency. However, even adults can learn another language and gain full proficiency. What are the three basic English language … Read more

States are at war with lagging test scores for reading and math. The pandemic widened learning gaps and many children fell further behind expected grade-level benchmarks. While the impact of the pandemic and distance learning cannot be ignored, there also was another more pervasive issue as it related to the reading curriculum in public schools. … Read more

An article in EdSource highlighted the successful literacy curriculum of Frank Sparkes Elementary in Winton, Calif. Half of the school’s students are learning English as a second language, and by third-grade more than half (54 percent) of the school’s ESL students hit grade-level reading benchmarks. How does the school create a learning environment conducive to … Read more

For children, Memorial Day might mean that summer vacation is here or nearly here. Many schools around the country dismiss classes for months during the summer break. The long vacation might be relaxing but it’s also a time when kids are at risk for losing reading gains (and math gains, too). To keep kids from … Read more

Parents who homeschool their children have a common concern as those who send their children to public or private schools. If children don’t continue homeschool lessons during the long summer break, they may lose the gains they acquired in reading or math. This fallback trend is known as the summer slide. To keep children moving … Read more

For many children across the country, summer vacation means nearly three months out of school. Instead of sitting in a classroom, children can enjoy the outdoors, catch up on their sleep and have fun with friends and family. Trips to the pool, the beach or museums also could fill the days of summer. While summer … Read more