SMART Reading Program Dead in Lane Co
About time. I don't like people losing their jobs but when the job involves taking money from people in the form of taxes and donations for a method of teaching that DOES NOT WORK, then I don't feel so bad.
Reading to children will not teach them to read. Yes, it might interest them in reading. Yes, it might be better than having the child watch TV. Yes, reading to children is considered quality time.
But no, it takes more than that to actually have the child read. For about $15, you can get the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Engelmann. You'll see what it takes to teach 3 to 5 year olds to read. With daily short lessons, any child can read. My son, who did not know all of his letter names, learned to read anyways because, well, you need to know the sounds of the letters, not the names, in order to read.
If only the SMART program were, well, smart. Train up your volunteers and TEACH incoming kindergarteners to read. The head people should have been consultants that train the volunteers. In fact, don't have volunteers, pay them $10 an hour. You would not believe the amount of money that had been wasted in the SMART program, originally funded by Kitzhaber's huge foundation (I believe the money came from tax dollars). All incoming Kindergarteners should have been reading for that money. But our educators...
SMART in Lane County
I have been reading SMART for five years in Corvallis schools. You are wrong in saying that it does not make a difference.
Even if the child does not learn to read in his year of SMART, he develops very valuable relationship with a caring adult. That alone is worth the program. A lot of the kids do learn to read. All the kids enjoy the program.
Many families do not practice reading at home. Not every family cares much about the education of their chidren. A lot of reasons for that. Drugs, broken families, and on and on.
Sounds like you have not been a SMART volunteer? My group of readers include retired school superintendent, physician, surgeon, scientist, War veteran, vetrinarian. And even Miss Oregon reads in my school. Just some of the great SMART volunteers who care about other peoples kids!
SMART is going to be dead in Benton County next year as well. The changes that are being implemented will kill off a great program.
Again, how is not teaching
Again, how is not teaching children to read better than actually teaching children to read? Have you read the research behind SMART? Talk about poorly done research.
Have you actually taught children to read using a scientifically validated reading program? (see Project Follow Through - 10k kids in the study and 1 billion dollars)
Didn't think so.