Chapter 5: Improving Reading Achievement in Elementary Schools

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent. (John F. Kennedy) I presented on Equality and Equity today at a Professional Development for Chamorro Teachers. So I thought that this quote was very timely and a good reminder for all of us as educators. Not all our students have equal talents but it is our responsibility to ensure that they equally receive the opportunities to develop.
Today's reading assignment was, at first pretty dry, until I read the statement about literacy curricula not being the same as literacy programs. For the last five years, the argument was that the reform program being implemented was a curriculum. It is not! It is the set of materials and resources that should have been used by teachers to support the curriculum. Can this explain why our students are still not improving? Have we done this all backwards? The reading also stated that in order for an effective improvement plan to be sustained, a strong infrastructure must be built? Again, this could explain why there has been little progress student achievement. Just like Marife felt about last week's reading, this reading was very informative but left me feeling very frustrated. For all the new things I am learning, I am also feeling helpless.