Taking a Reading on Literacy

The Times (NJ)

November 20, 2008

How do you get boys to love reading? You can read to them when they're little, surround them with books, bring them to the library and book store and still have a kid who sees reading as a chore. Teachers have started paying a lot of attention to boys and their reading scores because boys score lower than girls at every age level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Profile: Children's Book Author, Artist Laurie Keller

The Grand Rapids Press (MI)

November 20, 2008

If Laurie Keller could sell tickets to a trip inside her head, people would pay. There are otters in there and Wisconsin with tiny arms and legs making cheese sculptures and something about Zsa Zsa Gabor having "dejaja vu." Keller, 47, has written and illustrated six books for children that have received rave reviews since day one, charming grown-up critics and giggly first-graders.

Inmates Learn Parenting Skills

Tri-Valley Dispatch (AZ)

November 20, 2008

It's never too late to try being the best parent one can be - even from a prison cell miles away from home. More than 100 Hawaiian prisoners housed in Eloy, AZ are learning to do just that, through books, thanks to a program of the Hawaii-based Read-to-Me International organization.

Canada: "Too Many Books!" a Hit with Youngsters

Daily Observer (Canada)

November 20, 2008

A little boy named Nicholas has sparked the interest of Grade 1 students. As a part of TD bank's Canadian Children's Book Week, the institution gave away a free copy of the children's book "Too Many Books!" to Grade 1 students across Canada. Created by author Gilles Tibo and illustrator Bruno St-Aubin, two award-winning French Canadians, the book is meant to inspire children to become lifelong readers.

Study of Reading First Program Finds a Lack of Progress

The Washington Post

November 19, 2008

Students in the $6 billion Reading First program have not made greater progress in understanding what they read than have peers outside the program, according to a congressionally mandated study. The study showed some benefits. First-graders in Reading First classrooms were better able to decode, or recognize, printed words than students in schools without the program.

Dallas-Area Schools Pushing Latino Parents to Be Involved in Kids' Learning

The Dallas Morning News

November 19, 2008

Every night, 9-year-old Elizabeth Torres used to go off to her bedroom to read. When her father asked about what she'd read, she didn't have much to say. Martin Torres decided to spice up the nightly ritual: Father and daughter now read together at the kitchen table. Something surprising happened. Elizabeth eagerly chats about her books, written in either Spanish or English. It doesn't seem to matter to her that her father only reads in Spanish, most recently pretty heavy stuff about the Roman Empire.

Taking a Reading on Literacy

NewJersey.com

November 19, 2008

It's the annual book fair and most of the kids are writing down a page full of books for a wish list they'll take home to their parents. But a handful of boys can't seem to find much to interest them and they go home with just one name on their list. How do you get boys to love reading?

Tackling Literacy in Richmond Schools

Palladium-Item (Richmond, IN)

November 19, 2008

The passing rate for Richmond Community School third-graders on the language arts portion of the ISTEP rose 31 percent from 2000-2007. The passing rate for sixth-graders rose 70 percent in the same period. An impressive improvement. It came as a result of a district-wide effort, known as the Richmond Community Schools Literacy Framework.

Author's Mission is Child's Play

Miami Herald

November 18, 2008

Jon Scieszka, already a revered figure among millions of third- and fourth-graders, is the author of several classic picture books -- The Stinky Cheese Man, Math Curse, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and the new Truck Town books. The skewed genius behind the Time Warp Trio chapter book series, he has also now penned an autobiography with the self-deprecating title, Knucklehead. He will be in Miami on Saturday, where he'll meet his fans at Miami Book Fair International.

Hunt is on for More Men to Lead Classrooms

Boston Globe

November 18, 2008

If it didn't run afoul of employment laws, principal Thomas DeVito would consider taking out the following newspaper advertisement: "Wanted: Male teachers." At his Ferryway School, where boys slightly outnumber girls, male teachers are a rare species, presiding over only four of the 35 classrooms. And the same scenario is playing out across the state and the nation, where the number of male teachers is dwindling despite a recent focus on drawing more men into classrooms.

Students are Rewarded for Reading

Herald Tribune (FL)

November 18, 2008

Students at McIntosh Middle School in Sarasota, FL are "reaching for the stars" to become increasingly better readers. On Oct. 30, longtime McIntosh Middle volunteer William Myers rewarded three students who achieved high scores in the 2007-08 FCAT reading test with gift cards for their favorite stores. The students' reading teachers from last year were also honored in the ceremony.

'Obama' Children's Book Flying Off Shelves

Black Voice News

November 18, 2008

Nikki Grimes, celebrated children's author, poet and teacher is a name brand in the frenzied world of publishing. The New York Times bestselling author is a veteran of some 50 children's books and winner of prestigious awards including the Coretta Scott King Award and 2006 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. But even she admits she wasn't prepared for the white hot response to her latest offering: Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope illustrated by award winning artist Bryan Collier.

Lakeland College, A2 Charter School Students Share their Thoughts on Literature

Sheboygan Press (WI)

November 18, 2008

Students from Sheboygan's A2 Charter School took part in a morning of literature discussions with fourth-grade students at Lakeland College recently. The students were matched up by Lakeland instructor Eileen Hilke and A2 teachers Kathy Nelesen and Sandy Spatt. "My students gained so much information about how to communicate with students and share ideas about wonderful literature," Hilke said.

The Littlest Victims of the Mortgage Crisis

Washington Post

November 17, 2008

The long arm of the global financial crisis reached down into Morena Parada's preschool classroom, where a little girl named Joeli Arias-Lopez painted bright green and orange splotches on an oversize easel and pronounced it a house. The 4-year-old was blissfully unaware that her school, the Child and Family Network Center, stays open with a grant from the now-foundering Freddie Mac Foundation. Or that without that money, which was expected last month, her school might end the year early or close down altogether.

Reading Program Boosts Nebraska School

KETV (NE)

November 17, 2008

A Nebraska school found that reading test scores went up after it re-structured its classrooms and organized students by their skill level and not their grade level. Southern Elementary School in Blue Springs is using a program called Walk to Read. Students walk to different classrooms to learn with other children who are at similar levels of proficiency.

Fourth Annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week

Kansas City infoZine (KS)

November 17, 2008

2008 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week takes place from November 16 to the 22. The Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA) is partnering with The State Library of Kansas & the Kansas Center for the Book this year to promote the importance of reading to Kansas preschoolers & other youth.

Opinion: Gift of Reading Opens Doors to Kids' Learning

Detroit Free Press (MI)

November 17, 2008

I read a lot as a kid, and one of my favorites was "Deadline at Spook Cabin" by Eugenia Miller. I bought the book, which I still have, at the Defer Elementary School book fair for 35 cents. Whenever the book fair came to school, my parents made sure we had money to buy a book or two. But not everyone is that fortunate. That's where the Detroit Free Press Gift of Reading comes in. The program provides new books to children 12 and younger who are served by homeless shelters, foster care providers, Head Start programs, churches, community centers and other children's agencies.

Proposal in Texas for Pre-K Funding Draws Fire

Houston Chronicle

November 14, 2008

Proposed funding changes for pre-kindergarten programs would reward failure and potentially cripple successful classes for 4-year-old children, educators told Texas state officials Thursday. The Texas Education Agency wants to create a three-tier funding system with most of the available funding going to areas that did not get state funding in the past and whose third-grade students' test scores fall below the state average.

Program Promotes Importance of Literacy

Los Angeles Times

November 14, 2008

A monthly class at Southern California WIC sites urges low-income parents to read to their children, take them to visit their local libraries and engage them in literacy-related activities.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Publishes First Children's Alphabet Book

The Bulletin (PA)

November 14, 2008

The first children's book from the Philadelphia Museum of Art takes young explorers on an A-to-Z journey through the museum's collection. A is for Art Museum is an alphabet picture book aimed at preschool-age children (2- to 5-year-olds) created by museum educators Katy Friedland, manager of family and children's programs, and Maria K. Shoemaker, senior curator of education.

Retired Educator Inspires Literacy through Art

Jewish News (AZ)

November 14, 2008

To call Brooklyn native Muriel Feldshuh a reading enthusiast would be an understatement. Now retired, she spent 37 years teaching grades K-6, including 30 as a school librarian. But just because she no longer spends her days in school does not mean she has finished educating; she is constantly searching for new ways to encourage children to read, and to enjoy themselves in the process.

Reading to Succeed

The Bolingbrook Sun (IL)

November 14, 2008

In the fight to get children to read, Valley View School District 365U in the suburbs of Chicago, IL has declared war. When you're dealing with such adversaries as Spider-Man and Guitar Hero, it can be a tough battle. But getting kids away from the movies and games and into a good book now and then is a war that must be won, school leaders say.

Boston Mayor to Parents: Read to Children

Boston Globe

November 13, 2008

Forget Mozart CDs and Baby Einstein videos, Boston's mayor is urging parents to teach preschool children the old-fashioned way: by talking, reading, and playing with them.

Tool Translates Test Scores into Reading Lists

Washington Post

November 13, 2008

The Virginia Department of Education has unveiled a tool that teachers and parents can use to select books that interest young readers and help them improve their skills. The service, developed by MetaMetrics, based in Durham, N.C., assigns each child a number that corresponds to the child's performance on the state Standards of Learning reading test. Parents and teachers can plug the number into an online database for a list of books at the student's reading level.

Children's Book Remains on Shelves

Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)

November 13, 2008

Despite a push to have it banned from Chico Unified School District in Chico, CA, a book some parents found offensive will remain on library shelves among picture books and easy-to-read children's literature. Three parents challenged "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, on grounds that it was not appropriate for its targeted 3- to 8-year-old audience.