LAST WEEK: SHOULD GWINNETT FUND A POPULAR READING INSTRUCTION PROGRAM?
More than 500 teachers from around the Atlanta metro have been applying to participate in a specialized reading instruction program offered by a local non-profit, Reading is Essential for All People, known as REAP. The non-profit provides free training in the foundations of reading instruction to teachers.
To offer the evidence-based training free to teachers, the organization relies on donations and, to a lesser degree, professional development funding from local school systems. In some cases, teachers receive funding from their school’s parent-funded foundations or conduct fundraising efforts to pay for the training that on average costs $1,000 per teacher.
In the past two years about 140 Gwinnett public school teachers applied to participate in the program. Donations were available for only 36 to receive training.
GCPS provides professional development funding both through approved, state-recognized programs and at administrators’ discretion.
While REAP’s program is not currently listed with Gwinnett-endorsed programs, the county has shown support for teachers seeking this instruction independently.
We asked should Gwinnett and other school systems provide funding for a program like REAP? Or should teachers stick to school-sanctioned training?
Here’s what you said:
As a long time teacher in Gwinnett, I would like to know more about the program before deciding. We receive a lot of staff development and I have personally experienced many different literacy programs. Many of the programs are similar and then only last a couple of years before there is another new one to learn - often before the results could really be evaluated. Any new program should be based on research, and the results need to be proven and sustained before spending money on it. — Sally Mote
According to 2015 NAEP data, 32 percent of Georgia 4th graders cannot read at a basic level. Teachers want to reach all students. They need many tools and strategies to do so yet often do not have access to training and professional development in evidence-based instructional approaches. For better or worse systems are criticized and judged publicly. When looking for ways to bring positive PR to the forefront they don't always make changes that serve the students' basic needs. It can be far more sexy to purchase iPads than to teach children to read. — Jen Rhett
I have two children with dyslexia that I had to remove from public school because teachers were not qualified to adequately instruct my children. Teachers should be trained in research-based programs to support these children. Both of my children have seen tremendous growth in their reading skills based on an Orton-Gillingham approach. Funding these types of programs is very important. — Christy Moonan
I am a retired Gwinnett teacher, and I attended many professional development courses sponsored by the county and some not sponsored by the county. Most of each kind were excellent, and I always came away feeling as if I had acquired new skills to use in my classroom. I think reading instruction is critical, so I would encourage the county to fund it. — Beth Granger
My son attends 3rd grade at Birmingham Falls Elementary in Milton. In first grade… he was diagnosed with profound dyslexia. While he received early intervention reading support 5 days a week for 50 minutes a day, his reading level was not advancing. We paid a private tutor who was certified in a multi-sensory reading approach called Orton-Gillingham to tutor for 2 hours a week for one year. He is now reading above grade level in 3rd grade. He is also in advanced math. Just two years ago, he was in the 5th percentile for reading comprehension yet his nonverbal IQ is in the 97th percentile. Teachers should be equipped to recognize and identity children with little to no phonemic awareness in grades K-2. These children can narrow the reading gap with their typical peers if they are identified early and not made to repeat grades or struggle for years before testing is offered in the public schools. BFES sent six teachers to receive OG training last year in order to help students earlier and to be able to offer a multi-sensory reading intervention. — Charlotte Scandlen
- Karen Huppertz for the AJC
What may have been originally envisioned as a simple construction project has been an issue in Marietta for about six years. That was when a historic building was torn down to make way for a three-story building for a restaurant of some sort. But the space at North Park Square at Root Street encased by a wooden privacy fence could be a case of an impasse that neither part can get past.
The Marietta Historic Board of Review on Monday turned down plans from property owner Philip Goldstein to put something on the spot. Goldstein, an attorney and a Marietta councilman, would not agree to all of the board’s design standards, according to city spokeswoman Lindsey Wiles.
In a piece last spring, AJC columnist Bill Torpy called the crater Marietta’s gap-tooth smile. And succinctly pointed out that the holdup is basicaly due to differences in preservation philosophy, architectural taste and perhaps long-simmering personality conflicts between town functionaries the Goldsteins in general and Philip in particular.
His family has been in town for generations and he owns about 75 percent of the property on the square.
Historic board members say their antipathy to his proposals is not personal.
Former Mayor Bill Dunaway told Torpy it might be. Decades of legal maneuvers and tormenting others has caught up with Goldstein, he said. “He is paying the price of ill will. He’s not a warm personality. He’s Philip.”
Current Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin said Goldstein got busy last year with the brew pub idea after Marietta officials mentioned they might condemn the property and build a tourism center.
Now that you know some of the background of this dilemma, what do you think should be done with the hole in the Marietta Square? Do you think the Marietta Historic Board of Review or Goldstein is being too picky? How much leeway should property owners on the Square be given concerning the design of their buildings? Should the city condemn Goldstein’s property? Send your comments to CommunityNews@ajc.com.
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