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You may have noticed an announcement this week of an educational experiment we’re going to try this summer. It’s called THIRD GRADE ACADEMY.

Rick Ahaus and I have been talking about it for at least three months, and you may have learned all you want to know about it, but I’m going to take some space here to review exactly what it’s going to be. That’s because of two things: Newspaper articles and radio blurbs usually hit only the highlights, and secondly, there has been an unusual amount of interest in it — more than we anticipated.

Now, the interest isn’t because we had a brilliant idea. The reaction is more like — why didn’t someone try that before? And at this point I have to admit that the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. People just seem to like the idea. So I have to enter one more caveat: We really haven’t done anything yet, just come up with an idea. The real work starts with the instruction this summer. And proof of the pudding comes later when we find out whether it has done any good.

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O.K., now the real reason for this blog is that since the newspaper, radio or TV articles are, of necessity, partial, I am going to try to cover all the bases in this rundown — for anyone who wants to get all the details.

To start with, we call our initiative EVERY THIRD GRADER READS — which describes both our organization and our purpose.

Our mission is to confront the deficit of Third Grade students who failed the reading portion of the ISTEP test, which in recent years, has been pretty consistently 30% of the class total in Richmond Community Schools. When we looked at that figure, we had to ask — just as a matter of logic or common sense — what kind of learning can a student have in the fourth grade if he or she can’t read at grade level? (And how can a teacher teach a class with about seven students who are poor readers?) Later, we found that the fall-out goes even deeper — research has shown that any child who cannot read at grade level by the third grade is in serious danger of being a dropout. We feel that an intensive intervention of remediation is demanded at this point to give these students a chance for academic and lifetime success.

So here’s the proposal for a Third Grade Academy this summer:

1. All Richmond third graders, regardless of school attended, who failed the language arts (reading) portion of the ISTEP test are eligible.

2. Classes will be held for four weeks, Monday through Friday, from June 30 to July 25, 2008 (except July 4). Class sizes will be limited to 10 students, with a highly qualified teacher in charge, aided by a teaching assistant.

3. Following the advice of our Academy Director, Dr. Bill Doering (and other teachers), instruction sites will be decentralized, rather than take place in one central building. Sites confirmed to date are: Earlham College, I.U. East, Ivy Tech Community College, Hayes Arboretum, Morrisson-Reeves Library, and Wayne County Historical Museum, and others may be added.

4. Enrolled children will be picked up by Richmond Community Schools busses and returned home each day. Our organization will contract this service and pay all expenses.

5. The Academy will be in session from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Breakfast will be served to all students from 8:30 to 9:00. From l2:00 to l:00 will be the lunch period.

6. Full insurance has been arranged for all children and adults involved, on the same coverage basis as during the regular school times. At least one adult will be present with the children at all times.

7. While the Academy has only one purpose — to teach children to read — there will be incentives, awards and other fun things included. Free t-shirts enscribed “Third Grade Academy” will be given those who attend.

8. Free books (to the extent of available finances) will be awarded the students for attendance and achievement. Arrangements are being worked out with Morrisson-Reeves Library to get all the students started with their own library cards.

9. Teachers will visit the homes of all of their ten students to encourage parental understanding and support. To assist teachers, a men’s group of volunteers known as “Good Shepherds” will accompany them, if requested, on home visits, and also be available if any enrolled student does not attend class, to immediately visit the home to determine the cause of absence. This follow-up is considered essential to the program, because teachers only have 19 days to help the students become successful, so students must be there every day if at all possible.

10. A Community Advisory Council is being formed, comprised of representative local citizens, including parents. Its role will be to review plans and operations of the Academy, propose improvements, and take the lead in managing some of the auxiliary services so teachers can concentrate on instruction.

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To operate the program in the right way, we are in the process of raising $150,000, all from private sources. We will not solicit or accept monetary support from any public school district, although we are working with them in a mutually cooperative relationship, and we have been given strong support for this plan. Only teachers and teaching assistants will be paid for their services. All others will be volunteers who will be contributing their time and efforts for the good of the children.

All services will be offered FREE to the children. No child or parent will be required to pay for anything, including meals, t-shirts, books, etc.

Many details are still being worked out, and adequate financing is always a concern, although we are committed to raise the money, and we will do so, because this project is too important to let money interfere. In the final analysis, we are talking about lives, and we must do what we can in this experiment to save the lives of these children. If they can’t read, their futures will be blighted. If they learn to read better, they will have a better future. Now is the time to try.

Your comments and questions here are welcome. Or you may call me at 966-7097.

–Vic Jose

Vic Jose :: Mar.31.2008 :: Uncategorized ::

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