A Tale Of Two Schools

     In the movie A Tale of Two Schools, both were going about revamping their educational programs to something that they felt will benefit their struggling students. Both schools were similar in the aspect that they were behind academically( low state test scores), high poverty rate, and both wanted to set in place programs to help students decoding skills. The two schools introduced in this video were Bearden and Walton Elementary Schools.
      Bearden Elementary School is located in Mississippi and adopted the Project Read Program. The program has students sound out vowel sounds in order to decode words. The teachers at the school, however, have lack of resources and feel unprepared when trying to teach to the program. There is a lack of support at the school to help teachers adapt to the program. There was a women who came in to demonstrate to the teachers how the program was to work and it was clear that the teachers were not adapted to the style of the program. I feel that this program can work with populations of students, however, the lack of preparation and the lack of understanding the teachers have to implement this program has set this program up to fail from the start in my opinion.
     Walton Elementary School is located in Texas and has adopted the Reading Mastery program. The programs focus is to sound out words with the support of symbols. Students use this system to work on decoding of words. All the supports for this system are words with symbols and no pictures are added to the books. The program is scripted and easy to follow for the teachers. I feel that this program seems to have a good response from the teachers and students who are using this program.
     Both of these schools have more strives to go to make their students fluent readers . I believe that both programs need more comprehension skills added in to the programs. The programs focus so much on decoding that they miss the mark on comprehension and fluency skill building. Students spend so much time decoding words, that I feel they do not work on the ability of how they understand what they read and whether they read with proper accuracy, expression, or speed. That being said, both programs are not perfect.  I would say that the program that seems to work best or that I would pick would be the Reading Mastery. All the students seem to like the program and the teachers have the tools they need in order to teach the program. Compared to Bearden, Walton seems to have prepared and adopted their program better. I think this program seems to be effective in teaching decoding skills for reading. I still feel there needs to be more incorporation of comprehension and fluency added to the program as well as picture books. It seems that each school was trying to focus on decoding and with that in mind Walton is the best representation of mastering the skill of decoding to read.

A Tale of Two Schools

Christa A. Hernandez

      Choosing one of the reading programs from "A Tale of Two Schools" to implement in my own classroom was challenging because both Bearden and Walton Elementary Schools were struggling with various aspects of education; ranging from a lack of resources, to poor family environments, as well as low esteem teachers due to feeling unprepared. However, I do believe that both Project Read and Reading Mastery could be beneficial if used in the correct district. For example, in more affluent towns who are supplied with the necessary amount of supplies, resources, and educated professionals. Overall, the basis of the programs are essentially a great tool to help students read, however, when combined with the demographics and status of Walton and Bearden students, little to no progress was made. 

      Walton Elementary decided to use the program Reading Mastery, which is a prewritten script that walks teachers through each lesson word by word. The basis of the program begins with letters and their sounds and although eventually works up to higher order thinking, allows very little creativity to be implemented into the classroom when "following the directions." Therefore, it would worry me that if I chose to use this program, my classroom would become a regiment with no thinking outside of the box. There would no longer be lessons that the students would be able to relate to and remember because it would be repetitious and predictable. I find it hard that the people who wrote this program took into account every childs' different learning style or ability. Therefore, it would be hard to use such a structured text when students capabilities vary. However, even though these could be issues for most, some students could advance their reading ability. Tavares for example, may not have been caught up with the rest of his class in terms of reading level, but he did make strides in the right direction. Personally though, I would have a very rough time using this in my class due to my specific teaching style and what I believe in, as far as making learning matter to students and having them be able to use unconventional ways of learning to ensure academic progress.

      Bearden on the other hand, I think with the right training for their staff, would have had a very influential program in Project Read. Clearly this was not the case though, which is another reason I had a hard time choosing which program I would use. Yet, if all the right needs were met by both the supervisors and the teachers, I do believe that Project Read would be a more beneficial program for elementary students. If teachers were given the right amount of time and resources to learn the necessary information and were supported by the school, it would be much more creative and engaging than Reading Mastery. Using signals and phrases to me, is more helpful than reading a script word for word with no room for reinvention. Students can interact with the lesson and have more of an opportunity to be involved. Therefore, because they are more involved there would be a higher chance that they would be able to put meaning to the knowledge they are learning.

A Tale of Two Schools

Nikki Morgan

After watching A Tale of Two Schools, I couldn't help but feel both inspired and saddened. It was inspiring to see the teachers at these schools work so hard for their students to succeed in reading, yet it was sad to see the harsh reality that many schools face: the inability to read.

At Bearden Elementary in Mississippi, their reading program - Project Read - had a focus on decoding. However, this program was difficult to prepare for because there was a lack of training. The teachers did have the freedom to choose their approaches, but it proved to be difficult. On top of that, the school was located in a very poor, rural town where parental involvement in school was rare. At Walton Elementary in Texas, Reading Mastery was the reading program being used. This also had a focus on decoding. However, this program had more structure, as well as more support. The program was not literacy-rich, though, and did not contain much connected text, pictures, or color. Walton was located in a more urban/inner city area.

If I had to teach at one of these schools, I think I would choose Walton. As much as I would want to help Bearden's students, their reading program does not have the structure that I would need to make sure I am on the right track with teaching my students to read. Although Walton isn't literacy-rich, I would make sure to include these types of materials in my classroom to reinforce what my students are learning. I also feel that Walton's Reading Mastery program was more effective. It was great to see how happy and excited the teachers and students were when they found out that their school did well on the TASS test.

If these programs were used in more affluent areas, I think they would be even more successful because there would be more support, particularly parental involvement. Parental involvement is very important, and it is sad that there is not much of it in urban or rural areas. However, I do not believe that just because a student is living in an urban or rural area does not mean he or she cannot succeed. All children are teachable, and all children can learn. It just takes great teachers to help them and guide them in the right direction.

A Tale of Two Schools

As I watched the video, “A Tale of Two Schools,” I was very saddened by the fact that so many schools in such a rich country are not given the proper resources needed for students to receive the adequate education they deserve.  I found it very heartbreaking that children living in poorer areas of the United States are having so much trouble learning how to read due to the fact that their schools are not provided books for them to learn from.  In addition, the students are growing up in homes, apartments, or even outhouses where there is very little print and their parents do not care to read to them.  In Fort Worth, Texas, as the video mentions, three-quarters of the population is living in poverty, and since children are in and out of apartments, they are in and out of school and not receiving a proper education.  In Walton Elementary School, Reading Mastery is the instruction program that teaches letters and sounds, and also includes spelling, writing, and reading stories.  As I watched the video, it became evident that Reading Mastery is a positive program for the reason that it is very structured and gives students a lot of stability.  It also seems to be much more effective and has been more successful at helping students learn to read than the Project Read program at Bearden Elementary School in Sumner, Mississippi.  However, I feel as though Reading Mastery is very scripted and agree with critics that it squeezes creativity out of the classroom.  Because teachers read word for word from a script, the class is very robotic and makes the students act as robots. 

Although I find the structured routine aspect of the Reading Mastery program a bit annoying, I think I would still prefer to teach it over Project Read.  Jill Todd at Bearden Elementary seems to have a really tough time teaching her students, because the program is more complex, requires extensive teacher training, and grants freedom but with little professional development.  Because it is not very structured, it seems to be unorganized and thus makes it harder for students to learn to read.  On the other hand, Reading Mastery seems to motivate students and keep their attention in the classroom.  Even though Tevares is still struggling while his classmates are gaining fluency, his teacher, Mrs. Jackson, often encourages him and makes him actually enjoy being in school.  I loved how Mrs. Jackson used Tevares to help a younger girl with her reading skills and how she allowed him to become the teacher in the classroom.  In order for achievement to take place, students need teachers who are dedicated, hardworking, determined, and confident that every single child can learn and be successful. 

While these two reading programs certainly could be used in more affluent areas, I do not think either one of them would be.  Schools in affluent areas are more likely to have better resources, appropriate textbooks, and much more assistance when teaching children decoding and reading comprehension skills.  Therefore, I feel as though the reading instruction programs in an affluent area would make print readily available to the students at all times and thus be much more beneficial to their learning experience.  I also feel that, because students in affluent areas are much more used to print, teachers may not have to work as hard or implement such difficult programs as Reading Mastery and Project Read.  While I do feel as though Reading Mastery is effective and has been very successful, I believe that there are more effective techniques that can and should be used to help students learn to read.  I know that, if I were to teach Reading Mastery in my own classroom, I would make it much more fun for my students and not as robotic. Nevertheless, I do realize how difficult it is to teach students how to read and understand that student achievement requires a great deal of patience, devotion, motivation and love.

Blog 1

    After watching the "Tale of Two Schools" it upset me because as the movie mentions early on, the school in Texas had 3/4 of the children living in poverty and in Mississippi a majority of the students were living in third world situations. It is sad because in America we like to think that everyone has an equal chance to learn, but there is no denying that it is much more difficult for these children. Teachers said that many of the students have never even read a book until they came to school and many don't even know how to hold it or the basic parts of a book. I think it is very important as a teacher to realize that not all students are going to have the resources at home to practice reading, and although you can only teach them in school, I would definitely try to have a library system for those children so that they can take home classroom  books so they can practice at home. They even said that the town library was shut down in Mississippi, which really puts the students at a disadvantage.
    If I was a teacher I think that I would want to use the Project Read program. Even though they did not seem to have a lot of professional development and support to use the program there is more freedom for the teachers. I did not like that the Reading Mastery program was so scripted and that the students could only read the books made for the program. The letters were turned into symbols and to me that is not going to help them when they transition to regular books. Also the books were all words and did not have any pictures. I also think it is important for children to read books from different kinds of authors and see the different styles of writing and the different kinds of illustrations, so that they can decide what they enjoy. Although Project Read didn't seem as effective as Reading Mastery I think it was because the teachers lacked knowledge of the program and tools. They used different hand gestures and little rhymes that I think could help students to read and they can remember them for when they are on their own. Reading Mastery on the other hand seems like it works best when there is a teacher there instructing the students, but when they are on their own I don't think that it helps them out as much.

A Tale of Two Schools

I have never been in a school that is like Walton and Bearden Elementary and it made me realize what it's like for so many children and teachers out there.  I am used to being in schools that have libraries full of books as well as classrooms full of books and it was sad and eye opening to see these two schools and the daily struggles they face.  I think it's easy for many students to take reading for granted because they learned it so early on and once they learn it many don't even keep up with it while there are millions of students out there (like Tavares) who would give anything to learn to read and have books available to them.  One scene in the movie that really effected me was when the principal of Bearden elementary resigned.  This was a man that was at the school for years and basically deserted his own children and wife because he was at the school the entire day every day and year after year he felt he was getting nowhere.  He had the state on him because of low test scores but yet the state would not give them any funding and no matter how hard he and the teachers worked-there seemed to be no progress.  So after he gave it his all he felt like he had to move on.  It's sad that one person has to even work that hard every day every year and even more sad that there is no progress yet constant criticism.  This was a man who cared about his students and his staff but he became completely wiped out and had nothing left in him.  That must have upset the students and probably made him feel that all those years and work were for nothing.....

In the movie the two schools had different reading programs and different outcomes. Walton adapted reading mastery and Bearden had project read.  Walton students were moving forward and becoming very proficient in reading while Bearden students were falling even more behind.  It was interesting to see the two programs that I have never heard of before and see two very different results.  Both schools worked very hard to implement these programs but only Walton succeeded.  Walton teachers were trained in reading mastery while Bearden teachers had little or no training with Project Read.  Both schools also lacked books and comprehension material to go along with it. 

I would have to choose Reading Mastery as the program I would implement in my classroom because it seems so successful and the students seemed to be happy and engaged.  I also feel that I didn't get as good of a sense of what Project Read was about because it was so disorganized.  Reading Mastery  was a successful program that the teachers and students were happy with and the students did learn to read-it's proven it works.  The weakness with the program--but this was also mainly due to lack of funding-is that there weren't books available for the children to learn with as they learned the program.

I do feel that this program would be effective in an affluent area for kindergarten and first graders.  It teaches all the main components that children need to start off with--phonics-which includes sound and word recognition.  It would be great for K and 1st graders and then they could go into more advanced reading programs from there. 

Blog 1- A Tale of Two Schools

After watching “A Tale of Two Schools,” I was undecided about which reading program I would want to implement in my future classroom. Both Reading Mastery and Project Read have great things to offer children, but also things that I would want to do differently. However, I believe that both reading programs can be used in an affluent area. They were created to be a beneficial tool to aid students’ reading, which could help all children, not just the students who are struggling.

            We saw the teachers at Walton Elementary use Reading Mastery to teach literacy to their students. Reading Mastery is a structured reading program that constantly teaches letters and letter sounds. Gradually, elements of spelling, writing, and reading stories are added in. This program requires the teacher to read a script word by word. Although this makes it easier for the teacher to learn and adapt to the program, it does not make a creative learning environment. The teachers are confined to the words they choose, which means that the text and information is not being taught to the students in a way that is meaningful to them. As we have learned in previous classes, student learning is more effective when the students can relate the material being learned to their lives. In spite of this, I did see that this was an effective program. Tavares Gross’s reading progressed throughout the year in both comprehension and fluency. He may not have been at grade level, but he was reading.

            I would only want to use Project Read if I was in a supportive school. The teachers at Bearden Elementary felt unprepared and needed more training. Because the program uses physical cues to help children learn, it was more difficult and time consuming for the teachers to learn. However, I feel that this program was more fun and creative for the students. The hand movements and cute sayings got the students involved in the lesson, and helped them to remember the information they were learning. I also saw student progress in comprehension and fluency from the program.

A tale of two schools

 A “Tale of Two Schools” is an inspirational documentary about two vulnerable schools.  Both schools have the same goal and in the end they want their students to thrive as readers. The first school, Walton Elementary, adopted a program called reading mastery. This teaches letters, sounds, spelling, and writing. The teachers as well as the entire staff are extremely powerful and demonstrate positive attitudes. They have a tremendous amount of love in their hearts for their students and due to that, achievement took place. They truly want their students to succeed and the children saw and understood that. As a result, these students were motivated, focused, determined, and disciplined. They developed a passion for learning to read as well as a passion for school in general. Reading Mastery was a very organized and structured program. They enforced and had their students master discipline prior to incorporating and beginning reading mastery. This allowed each student to demonstrate exceptional behavior and be alert during each lesson, absorbing the material being taught instead of having it go in through one ear and out the other. This also allowed each individual to have an affective learning experience. I like how they were aware of Tavaras and recognized that he was struggling. They did not let him hide behind all the students who were progressing at a faster pace. They took him aside to work with a separate teacher, which allowed Tavaras to learn at his own pace, feeling confident in his success. There are some negative aspects to reading master. To me, the students are responding in a way that is very robotic. They also are not reading books, just words. However, knowing the outcome and seeing how affective it is for both the students and teachers made it completely worthwhile.  The reactions the staff had when they reviewed the test scores were mind-blowing and that part of this documentary will never be forgotten. The second school, Bearden Elementary, seemed to have more negative factors than positive ones. They had the right motives and goals but their teachers were not prepared for incorporating project read into their classrooms. For example, Miss Todd openly admitted that she was not very knowledgeable in teaching students how to read. She only had two days of training and she felt very unprepared, on top of not having the appropriate materials, resources, or books. Due to this, her students were not as focused, motivated and disciplined as students at Walton were.  They did have success, but it took much longer than it should have. The school in general needs stability and teachers that commit long-term. One key element of literacy that was not used in either program was comprehension, which is a vital tool in learning. Just because a child can read words does not mean that they understand what they are reading. They are basically just reading a variety of symbols.

  I would prefer to teach the reading mastery program because I feel it is more affective and valuable. I found the techniques and strategies to be very useful. Sounding out each letter individually and then putting those sounds together to create the word is phenomenal. You can tell that the students benefited from that method and really understood what they were learning. If they struggled with pronouncing words in their essays, they would use that same method that the teachers used with them. They remember what they’re being taught. That says something. As a teacher using reading mastery, you have to be ready for the challenge. It is definitely hard work but if you believe in it and never lower your standards, you will be successful at it. Just as this program is used and successful in an inner city school, it can most definitely be implemented in an affluent school. We see that the school not to far from Walton adopted this program and each student made significant progress. It does not matter if a classroom is filled with primarily African Americans or Caucasians, as long as you have committed teachers and the right program, learning to read is possible.  In the end, the most important part of this entire documentary was that both schools recognized that there was a problem and they both wanted a solution. Without this realization, success would not take place. 

A Tale of Two Schools

Prior to watching A Tale of Two Schools, I never truly grasped how difficult it can be for teachers to teach their students how to read, especially without the proper resources to do so. This film really made me see the pros and the cons of the Reading Mastery and Project Read programs. The program that stood out to me the most, however, was the Reading Mastery program. I loved how one of Fort Worth’s teachers commented on how important it is for students to learn how to behave in a classroom environment before they can be expected to learn how to read. I think that the structure of the Reading Mastery program would really allow for students to focus on the task at hand, while still having fun and being engaged in the lesson. During one part of the video in particular, a Fort Worth teacher allowed her students to become the teacher, which is something that I certainly plan on doing in my own classroom someday. I think that allowing students to act like the teacher is a great way to motivate them. One negative aspect of this program, however, was the fact that some believed Reading Mastery took the creativity out of the classroom. In my opinion, this is an easy fix. Teachers can be very creative when implementing lesson plans if they choose to be. The Reading Mastery program is the program that I would choose to teach in my prospective classroom.  

I particularly liked how the Reading Mastery program added elements like reading stories, writing, and spelling. I felt as if the Project Read program lacked these elements, especially since we did not see many books being used in the classroom. I really felt for the teachers in Sumner, Mississippi when I learned that they had difficulties learning how to teach the Project Read program to their students due to their lack of training, which caused them to feel unprepared. I can imagine how tough it must be to be expected to teach a lesson to students without the proper knowledge and skills to do so. Overall, I certainly believe that the Reading Mastery program was more effective than the Project Read program. I enjoyed the fact that the Reading Mastery program’s reading curriculum relentlessly taught students letters and sounds until they knew them as well as they knew their own names. In my opinion, it seemed as if the teachers in the Reading Mastery program had better access to the appropriate resources, such as workshops, compared to Project Read.

It is difficult for me to assess whether or not these programs would be used in an affluent area or not. Although I believe that affluent areas would most likely have the resources available to them to implement these reading programs, I feel as if affluent areas might rely more on technology to teach reading. I would hope that affluent areas would also stick to using books and other resources to teach kids how to read fluently. In the video, I was blown away as to how many children lived in poverty, which limited many resources that could have helped them become better readers. I am interested in developing my own teaching style and implementing numerous techniques when I teach my future students how to read. I am sure that it will be a learning experience for my students, as well as myself.

Juliana- A Tale of Two Schools

There are many positive and negative traits that the two programs in the film, ‘A Tale of Two Schools’, hold. I personally preferred The Reading Mastery program used in Fort Worth, Texas. Looking at both of them, I felt like this program had more positive characteristics. Throughout the film both schools had struggling students, but I feel that Tavares showed that the reading Mastery program really worked. The students were very excited in performing their literacy practices and it showed that this technique actually helped them progress in their reading skills. The technique the teacher used to help the students sound out the words seemed like it really worked for them. I loved the way that the teacher was energetic and also let the students teach the ‘class’ and others, that way they are more involved in what they are learning and more excited about it. The only negative aspect in this program I would say are the resources the teachers are using. I noticed the book that Tavares was using had no pictures and didn’t seem interesting to him. He was excited to read because he wanted to show off that he had gained new skills, but I don’t think he was gaining comprehension for what he was reading or a ‘love’ for reading. If the teachers provided different books with pictures and a story that interested him, I feel that he would benefit from this program even more. I would use these techniques in my classroom one day, but hopefully provide more resources for my students and help them more with their comprehension skills. I think the reason why I don’t like the other program as much is because they struggled with resources as well. They received a grant with more books halfway through the year, which took away from the efficiency of the program. I feel like it could have been much better if they had gotten those resources and provided their teachers with more to structure the program it probably would have benefitted more students.

A Tale of Two Schools

A Tale of Two Schools focuses on two schools and the reading programs those schools use to try and help their students advance in reading. Walton Elementary school in Fort Worth, Texas uses a program called Reading Mastery while Bearden Elementary School in Mississippi uses a program called Project Read. Both programs aim to develop the skills that students need in order to read such as decoding which involves phonics, fluency, and phonemic awareness. In my opinion, though, one programs stood out against the other and that program was Reading Mastery.

The Reading Mastery program seemed to be a more effective program in my opinion. Just from watching the students use this program in comparison to Project Read I think it was an obvious difference. Reading Master seemed much more organized and structured. There was a routine that all the students knew and were used to. "Get Ready" was announced by the teacher and the students would know that next they would have to sound out and read the word. This program focuses heavily on letter sounds, reading words fluently through sounding out, and decoding. I think the evidence of the effectiveness of this program is shown through Tavaras, a young first grade student who enters school a struggling reader. The viewer watches Tavares as he struggles, perseveres, and in the end advances in his reading. Although still not at the level of the rest of the first graders, his level at the end of the movie has advanced compared to where he started showcasing how Reading Mastery can have a positive outcome for students. One thing that worries me about this program, however, is how they are weaned off of it. How will they continue to learn and advance if they are not on this program? They will not be able to use Reading Mastery forever so it is crucial that beyond this program this acquired knowledge can me applied while reading.

If I were to teach one of these programs it would be the Reading Mastery program. Not only do I feel that it is more effective, but I also feel the teachers were more comfortable teaching this. The teachers teaching Project Read seemed a little unorganized and untrained. They seemed flustered at times and as if they were not sure what they were doing. Most teachers in the Reading Mastery program seemed to know what they were doing and how to do it. I think parents would be okay with the Reading Mastery program being used in schools because it is being used for the benefit of their child. It is aimed to teach children and encourage them and isn't that what parents send their children to school for? I think as long as their is evidence that this program works, parents would be okay with it being used.

'A Tale of Two Schools': Amanda Beideman

Amanda Beideman

Blog Entry One: ‘A Tale of Two Schools’

Students from many communities across the country are struggling with an incredibly important skill: the ability to read. The students, however, are not the only individuals struggling. Teachers, as well as the communities themselves, are struggling to both teach and support students on their reading journeys. The documentary we were introduced to in class, ‘A Tale of Two Schools,’ recognizes two urban districts who have implemented reading programs to better educate their students. Bearden Elementary in the Mississippi Delta utilizes a program referred to as Reading First or Project Read. Walton Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas uses a program called Reading Mastery. While both programs work to develop or improve the skills of these deserving students, one program certainly outshines the other.

The Reading Mastery program used in Fort Worth, Texas seems to be the better of the two in ‘A Tale of Two Schools.’ To further prove that this program is beneficial to students, the documentary has viewers follow an energetic first-grader, Tavares Gross, on his path to becoming a better reader. Tavares, as well as countless other students at Walton Elementary, learn a great deal from the tightly-structured program, which lends much of its focus to letter-sound correspondence and decoding (crucial elements of reading for beginners). It was incredible to see how willing the students were to learn new letters/sounds and how driven they were, with their dedicated teachers behind them, to learn to read. Even Tavares, a young boy struggling with the process, was ecstatic to return to school each day. Reading Mastery was displayed by educators at Walton Elementary as an organized program with an incredible success rate – in terms of each student’s individual success and the overall success of the school. I would absolutely consider utilizing this program as an educator.

Unfortunately, for myself especially, the Reading First or Project Read program used in Bearden Elementary did not live up to its full potential. While few students were benefiting from the implementation of this program, a majority of students did not seem to be doing so. Although it provided students with the opportunity to look at books, an aspect that the Reading Mastery program had lacked, it was unorganized and may have possibly allowed for too much freedom in the classroom (assuming that there can be “too much”). The teachers, as well as the school itself, were also lacking the resources necessary to fully implement the program. For example, the school received a grant late, thus they received all of their reading materials in the middle of the year. With more organization, better resources, and experienced/well-prepared teachers, I believe that this program, like Reading Mastery, could be an incredibly successful one.

It is difficult to consider whether or not these programs could be implemented in schools that rest within wealthier districts. On one hand, schools can easily be given the necessary resources and tools to carry out these programs successfully, including the training of educators. On the other hand, wealthier districts often have more-privileged children in terms of their educational opportunities. The question that has arisen for me is: Do wealthier districts NEED to carry out these programs? Are they more focused on the less-privileged? I think the documentary allows us to understand the success of these programs in urban districts but leaves us questioning if these programs can strive beyond them.

A Tale of Two Schools

As I watched the video "A Tale of Two Schools" I was disgusted and amazed that things like these still go on in one of the richest countries in the world. It was sad to see the educational system that these children face, and it was even sadder to think that the cycle of poor education and living circumstances in some situations, would not come to an end.
The students from both of the schools in Mississippi and Texas, had a lot of problems in their education system. There were lack of supplies, lack of support, and lack of training for the teachers; especially for the teachers in Mississippi. However, I did notice dedicated teachers who wanted the best for their students and was really trying their best to make things work.
Both The Reading Mastery Program and Project Read need a lot of work in order for them to really benefit their students. I do not see either of these programs being used in the context that they were being used in those classrooms, in any rich or upper-class school district. However, if I had to choose one, I would choose Project Read. Although The Reading Mastery Program seemed to be more organized, I find Project Read to be for flexible, and more relevant to the way we read. The Reading Mastery Program had weird markings in order to help the children read, and it had no room for adjustment, trial, and error. In my opinion, with the correct training, management skills, and enthusiastic energy, Project Read can be a success. Though it do have its flaws, the program has potential in my eyes, and has the ability to be effective. With help from parents, and support from the teachers, the students are definitely able to learn, grow, and excel.

A Tale of 2 Schools

Both of the reading programs presented in "A Tale of 2 Schools" had positive and negative aspects. First, in Mississippi, Project Read gave students very structured program, but because it was so structured, it seemed as if the teachers were forced to stick to a script. The other program given to students in Texas, Reading Mastery, gave teachers a lot of freedom with their reading material, but the teachers lacked training in the program. Both programs focus on decoding as a skill needed to read. Although both programs has their strengths and weaknesses, I thought the Reading Mastery was a better program for the students that needed help with reading in this video. Reading Mastery was very demanding and scripted, but that is the type of program that lower class students need in order to excel. These students were far behind in their reading skills, so extreme measures needed to be taken. Although the Reading Master Program does not teach comprehension skills, I think it is important for students to learn basic reading skills before attempting to comprehend the text. I believe that the effectiveness of Reading Mastery is limited to lower class students. Students who live in affluent areas would probably not find success in the Reading Mastery program because their skills are more advanced. Schools in affluent areas have the privilege to  individualize their curriculum based on specific students' needs and that is the type of curriculum that their parents expect.

Blog 1- A Tale of Two Schools

While watching the video “A tale of Two Schools” I paid attention to the similarities and differences between the two schools. I noticed many differences in the schools such as the school in Texas having lots of supplies and teachers with lots of training. All of the teachers discussed training in the video and the teachers from Texas received a lot more training about reading programs than the school in Mississippi. The similarities I observed in both schools were that they both had students struggling to read and they both implemented new programs and techniques to fix this issue. The Reading Mastery Program definitely seemed more organized. However, when working with young children there has to be room for some accommodations and that program seemed very strict and didn’t leave much room for anything to go wrong. As a teacher you always have to be prepared for whatever distractions may happen throughout your lessons. The other program, Project Read seemed more accommodating and slower paced. Because of the pros and cons mentioned about both of these programs I really don’t know which program would work best. I think both programs could be effective depending on how they are implemented and which kind of community they are in. Perhaps both schools could learn from each other’s programs and find a way to fill in the gaps of what each program was missing. I see how students struggle with reading in my school for Clinical I.  Teaching them is no easy task, and the students that do not have support at home struggle the most. In the movie we saw how well the little boy that they focused on had improved once his aunt took the initiative to read with him at home. It takes a lot of different methods and a lot of time for students to develop reading skills.

Welcome to the blog for the READ408: Literacy in the Elementary Grades class! Here is where you sign in and post for assigned readings/questions on your syllabus. Also, here is where you respond to what others have written for additional credit but, more importantly, for a chance to get the conversation going. So, here's to your first post! Good luck and enjoy!!