Category Archives: Literacy

Thirty-two schools advance to the next round of Read to the Final Four

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Celebratory pep rally gives special shout out to top five

In a fun-filled ceremony at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, a crowd gathered (and some watched live, online) to hear the announcement of the 32 schools who will advance to the next round of the NCAA Read to the Final Four Literacy Challenge.

The competition was created by the district in partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library, and the University of Houston. Houston will host the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four April 2–4 at NRG Stadium. Thus far, elementary school students in the literacy challenge have reported 1,141,283 minutes of total reading time. Continue reading →

Brookline ES kicks off $100,000 capital campaign to renovate library

A student reads at Brookline Elementary School’s Literacy Night on Oct. 7.

A student reads at Brookline Elementary School’s Literacy Night on Oct. 7.

Brookline Elementary School is on a quest to upgrade its campus library, and the “Books for Bobcats” kickoff it held on Oct. 26 has already received a boost from an anonymous donor, who promised to match up to $50,000 — or half of the campaign’s stated $100,000 goal.

“This person is a college friend of one of the faculty who has been very successful in the corporate world,” said Brookline teacher and capital campaign director Theodore Wills. “He has been a generous benefactor to public libraries and many other causes.”

Wills noted that Brookline devotes its resources to improving student achievement in math and reading each school year. This year, campus leaders determined that updating the library collection was critical to preparing students to be successful global graduates, so Brookline is devoting its entire library budget to the purchase of new STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and math) books. Continue reading →

HISD schools participate in attempt to set reading world record

Ninety-two HISD schools participated in Read Across the Globe on Oct. 19, an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of children being read to in a 24-hour period. The goal was to read the same book, “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, to 300,000 children simultaneously.

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Hundreds of generous Houstonians, including former First Lady Barbara Bush, volunteered to be a classroom reader, timekeeper, or witness of the event. Many HISD schools tweeted photos during the event, and you can see a collection of those at the end of this article. Continue reading →

Volunteers needed Oct. 19 to help set world record

Volunteers are needed at HISD schools on Monday, Oct. 19, to help set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of children being read to in a 24-hour period. During the event, called Read Across the Globe, 92 HISD elementary campuses will join schools in other cities and countries across the world in a mass reading of “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table,” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The goal is to read to 300,000 children simultaneously, smashing the current record of 238,000.

Parents, community members, and HISD staff can participate in Read Across the Globe by volunteering to be a classroom reader, timekeeper, or witness. Volunteers need to be over 18 years old and should plan on being at an HISD elementary campuses from 8 to 11 a.m. or noon to 3 p.m. on Monday, October 19. To sign up and to pick a campus, go to www.Connect4Literacy.org/readacrosstheglobe. Continue reading →

Volunteering duo can’t wait for Read Houston Read to start back up again

In this week’s I Am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, returning volunteer Sharon Plummer discusses how she and her husband first discovered the Read Houston Read program, why they both immediately signed up to participate, and why they can’t wait for this year’s first mentoring sessions to begin.

Sharon Plummer & Chandler Davidson

Sharon Plummer & Chandler Davidson

I understand you and your husband, Chandler Davidson, both volunteer as reading mentors at Burnet Elementary School through Read Houston Read. How did that arrangement come about?

We had actually been looking for an opportunity to read to elementary students for quite some time. Maybe even a couple of years. We had made several inquiries with various organizations, but just could not find a good fit. Then I happened to see this. And I thought, “Oh, my gosh, this is it!”

What is it about reading to young children than appeals to you? Continue reading →

Personalized literacy activities help build student excitement about reading

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A big part of getting secondary students excited about the idea of reading for pleasure is finding the right incentives.

That’s why East Early College High School’s (EECHS) librarian and principal invited popular young adult author Rosemary Clement-Moore to be the keynote speaker at the campus’ second annual Literacy Day celebration on Sept. 25. It’s also why they awarded a free autographed copy of the author’s latest novel to senior Alejandra Guerra, the student who read the most books over the summer.

“A lot of our students come from neighborhood schools that don’t have budgets to invite authors to come speak, so this is a new experience for many of them, particularly the freshmen,” said EECHS librarian Cynthia Ramos. “Events like this build enthusiasm among students for wanting to read, as opposed to being required to read. Hopefully, that will lead them to texts they wouldn’t normally have chosen. This is only our second author visit, but last year, students told me they really enjoyed the talk.”

Personalizing instruction will be a key aspect of the support provided to secondary students this fall through HISD’s Literacy By 3 movement.

“We want to meet students where they are,” said Mechiel Rozas, the district’s director of secondary literacy, “so a big part of the proposal we’ll be making to the superintendent and Board of Education will deal with continuing the personalized aspect of the curriculum as students move into middle school, because that’s what they have come to expect. We want there to be multiple ways to engage with the content, so we can meet the needs of all students.”

 

HISD kicks off student reading challenge with NCAA, Houston Public Library, UH

The Houston Independent School District announced Thursday a partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library and the University of Houston on a bracket-themed reading challenge that encourages students to read at least 30 minutes a day.

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Nearly 6,800 third-graders will participate in the reading challenge known as the NCAA Team Works Read to the Final Four Literacy Program leading up to the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four that will be held in Houston April 2-4 at NRG Stadium. Continue reading →

HISD third-graders to join NCAA Read to the Final Four literacy challenge

Nearly 6,800 Houston Independent School District third-graders will participate in a bracket-themed reading challenge as part of the NCAA Team Works Read to the Final Four Literacy Program.

The competition was created by the district in partnership with the Houston NCAA Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Houston Public Library, and the University of Houston. Houston will host the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four April 2-4 at NRG Stadium.

The literacy challenge kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 24, with a special celebration at Blackshear Elementary School, one of 68 campuses selected to participate in the challenge based on its high enrollment of at-risk students and commitment to the district’s Literacy By 3 Initiative.  Launched in the fall of 2014, Literacy By 3 aims to have every child reading on grade level by the end of third grade. Continue reading →

Gridiron legends kick off National Literacy Month for Bush Foundation

Former Houston Oiler quarterback Dan Pastorini was accustomed to passing a football on the field. Now, he passes on knowledge and a love of reading by volunteering to read to a child. Pastorini and gridiron legend Charles Alexander joined The Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation, Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, and Phillips 66 at Walnut Bend Elementary School on Aug. 31 to help kick-off National Literacy Month.

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Every September, this national literacy initiative aims to raise awareness of the nation’s literacy crisis. Studies show that children who do not read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers. That’s why volunteers are so vital to helping kids comprehend the power of being able to read. Continue reading →

HISD earns “Met Standard” rating from state for the 2014-2015 school year

Almost 80 percent of HISD campuses also receive “Met Standard” designation.

The Houston Independent School District earned an overall “Met Standard” rating, according to 2015 state accountability data released Friday by the Texas Education Agency.

The district received the rating — the highest offered under the state’s current accountability system — despite increasing performance targets on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test.

Continue reading →