Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
This is the sixth in a series of weekly articles about the challenges facing our school district, and the measures proposed to meet those challenges.
It is easy to see that our local schools are facing many challenges. Some of these challenges are clearly at the feet of school administrators. Not all challenges are solely the responsibility of the local schools. Many challenges can best be addressed as a community. Financial challenges are being tackled and progress is being made in order to get the schools on more firm financial ground. When openings have occurred within the schools, those positions have often been able to be filled by shuffling people around within the school system. While this may not have always been popular, it has allowed the school system to save money. “These are my tax dollars, too,” said Dr. Karen Pickles, Madison County Superintendent of Schools. Pickles remains committed to the notion that in every decision that is made, the students “have to come first.” Another way Pickles is attempting to trim as much as possible is by examining all the contracts the school has. This includes renegotiating contracts, where possible, in order to save money for the school district. “Every penny saved is a penny that can be used elsewhere,” said Pickles.
While these measures will have and are having a positive impact on the financial well-being of the school system, there are other things that can be done in order to improve the school system. “We need volunteers,” said Pickles. “Reading to a child improves their vocabulary and helps them learn to read. Serving as a mentor fosters a caring attitude and commitment in the life of a child. Many of our children just need to know someone cares.” Community involvement in schools is a vital “piece of the puzzle” when it comes to ensuring student and school success. According to a study by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, “Many studies found that students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, were more likely to:
earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher level programs
be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits
attend school regularly
have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school
graduate and go on to post-secondary education.”
This same study goes on to state that, “when parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for college, and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school. When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, students make greater gains. When schools build partnerships with families that respond to their concerns and honor their contributions, they are successful in sustaining connections that are aimed at improving student achievement. And when families and communities organize to hold poorly performing schools accountable, studies suggest that school districts make positive changes in policy, practice, and resources.”
In an effort to improve family involvement, Madison County Central School (MCCS) has implemented Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT). According to Shirley Joseph, the Coordinator of Assessment, Accountability, and Accreditation parent participation in these APPTs has improved since the program was put into place in the fall. These APTTs seek to improve the communication between parents and teachers in order to improve parental involvement with their students. It is still too early to fully assess the full success of the APTT program, but with greater parental involvement, student success will surely follow.
In Charlottesville, Va. there is a volunteer program called “Book Buddies.” Book Buddies is a low-cost volunteer program to tutor children in reading. After a three year study, it was found that the program had a “positive impact on first and second graders' reading scores.” It further found that students who attended more tutoring session made more progress than those who attended fewer sessions. It was found that students made improvements, almost across the board, in the areas of alphabet knowledge, concepts of words, phoneme knowledge, and word recognition. The results of this study suggest that a well-designed community volunteer program can be both effective and affordable. This is from the study: At-Risk Readers and Community Volunteers: A Three-Year Perspective In Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Scientific Studies of Reading, 1(3), 277–300.
Locally, volunteers are needed in the United Way of the Big Bend ReadingPals program. ReadingPals is a local program in which volunteers read to elementary school children. Greenville Elementary School participates in the ReadingPals program. More information can be found at www.uwbb.org/. Other ideas can be heard by attending the free lecture by noted educator Dr. John Hodge at MCCS on Monday, April 3, at 6 p.m., in the MCCS gymnasium.