New York University

Date of Award

08.19.2013

Program

Education, New York City

Amount

$308,271

Term of Grant

36 months

Project Title

Literacy Instruction for Struggling First Grade Students

Project Description

The requested funds will be used to scale up and implement high quality literacy intervention for grade one students in Bronx Districts 9 and 12 schools who are struggling with early literacy learning. To date five Reading Recovery teachers have been trained to implement Reading Recovery in four schools. The extended grant will support training for 15 more teachers over the next three years. Reading Recovery is a widely implemented, research based intervention with a proven record of success in accelerating young children’s progress with literacy learning. Qualified teachers with experience teaching early grades receive additional training through a year-long graduate level course plus school visits and support provided by DOE employed teacher leaders who are also university adjuncts. After the training year Reading Recovery teachers continue to receive professional development and support as long as they remain in this role. Reading Recovery is a half-day teaching assignment; the teacher provides daily 30 minute, individual lessons for four low progress students during part of their teaching day and has other teaching responsibilities for the rest of the day. When a Reading Recovery student reaches grade level the next lowest student comes in to that place, so that each teacher works individually with a minimum of 8 students across the year. Extensive local and national data establish that 65-70% of the lowest achieving students make accelerated progress to reach grade level in 12-20 weeks and continue to progress without the need for further intervention services. Students needing longer term help are identified early; detailed and reliable data are available to inform decisions about on-going instruction. This grant will supplement a large federal grant aimed at scaling up effective educational innovations by providing matching funds for tuition costs for five teachers in years one and two and full tuition for a further five teachers in year three, after the i3 grant expires. The grant will also pay the DOE Cluster 2 instructional fee for teachers in all three years. One teacher will receive a year of full-time post-graduate training to provide teacher training and leadership support for Reading Recovery in the Bronx. The grant will cover costs for the teacher leader’s training and provide salary support (not to exceed 50%) for the training year and field year. A teacher training facility with a one-way viewing mirror will be constructed in a District 9 or 12 school to facilitate training and continuing professional development for Bronx teachers. The teacher leader and 15 new Reading Recovery teachers will provide intensive individual teaching for approximately 250 low achieving children and impact the learning of more than 1000 children during the other part of their teaching day.