A letter to Dr. Inos

All the positive energy around reading at PSS presently, is very encouraging. Reading is just so important to the success of our students. I believe however, schools can’t do it alone. In my keynote address on Education Day, I expressed the important role families and communities play in the reading/learning process. Also, you and L Rita Sablan and my principal J. Elameto have shared at different times the importance of the new brain research. I think this new information – with action – is so vital to prevention and the future reading success of our children.

We know the reading process begins at birth. Research shows anything less in teaching children to read is a band aide approach. We not only need to teach teachers for the classroom, but we also need to educate our communities and families. Why? What can we learn from the new brain research? How can the community help? How does this effect early reading success? What criteria might we use to measure what most children can do?

As you know, half of a child’s intellectual development occurs by the time he or she enters kindergarten! (Alas, we must also continue to educate for mandated kindergarten on the NMI). Before and after birth, brain development occurs around the clock. Shortly after birth a baby’s brain produces trillions more connections between neurons than it can possibly use. By age three, the child’s brain has formed 1,000 trillion connections – twice as many as in an adult brain. About age 10, the brain begins getting rid of extra connections and permanently retains the connections that are used repeatedly in the early years. For example, children who are seldom spoken to or read to in the early years tend to have difficulty mastering language skills because their brains eliminate the unused connections used for this type of learning. Therefore, these children begin school with a preventable handicap.

This research is printed in the US Dept. of Education literature. I made copies available to all schools and administrators on Education Day (see research in book On the Road to Reading). I’ve included additional copies here for you of the 1997 America READS Challenge, Read*Write*Now promoted and supported by President Clinton.
Along with the brain research I think it is imperative our community and government leaders are not only educated with this new research, but also provide support for children’s reading on the NM. One way is with community service hours: e.g. once weekly, employees read with a reading partner – a low reader in elementary school.
Many states have governors and mayors supporting these programs. (See examples in Ideas that work).

At our last PTA meeting and staff meeting, I handed out and shared some of this information with our parents and teachers. Specifically, I gave parents, 3 Ways Parents Can Help and what children should know (see hand-out included). Isaac Magofna with the Humanities Council shared family support through Father Read, Mother Read.
For staff, I gave them the handout from the article in the Tribune by Tony Pellegrino Stop Social Promotion and Retention – assess students and then allow those not meeting standards and benchmarks at 3d and 6th grade to get additional interventions and support in a non-graded classroom before promotion. I think this is a good “stop gap” measure, while we build more interventions and prevention programs for our young readers. I hope we can help schools who choose this preventative approach to have the FTE’s to make this possible. Innovative solutions are imperative at this time, if we want to replace our present large numbers of low-readers with large numbers of high successful readers.

Dr. Inos, I want to support you, our teaching staff, and communities in any way that I can to promote good readers. I am available for discussion, brainstorming, and sharing my knowledge. I gained so much as your 1999 Teacher of the Year. I feel the is both privileged and blessed Rita, to have you as their leader.

Barbara Gilles

1999 NMI Teacher of the Year