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.