Jeffrey Harrell
Press Release for RFTAT
02/17/06 

WILLIAMSTON- In an effort to counter low test scores and literacy rates for students in Martin County, teacher’s assistants met to bolster support and put stronger emphasis on reading Wednesday at the North Carolina TeleCenter. 

“It was a very productive workshop,” says Carlotta Robinson, Literacy Education Administrator for Martin County Schools. “All of the assistants expressed enjoyment and a willingness to do it again.” Teacher’s assistants from all over the county came for the Reading First Teacher Assistant Training which was designed to help elementary grade students score higher on end of grade tests and experience a higher overall reading knowledge.

“[The TeleCenter] was a nice facility to have the workshop. All of the teachers felt comfortable with the various conference rooms and seating.” said Jodie Rawls, the reading coach for E J Hayes elementary school. She went on to remark, “The teachers seemed to enjoy the workshop. It went very well.” The teachers made “games” to help stimulate learning in their students.

The training was in compliance with the Reading First Federal Grant given to schools throughout the nation under the criteria of low reading scores as well as other requirements pertaining to schools of impoverished counties. The grant was awarded to four out of six of the elementary schools of the county, including East End, Williamston Primary, E J Hayes, and Jamesville. Rodgers and Edna Andrews did not qualify for the grant, but are being funded locally by the county.  The attendees included 62 teacher’s assistants plus the six individual reading coaches from the elementary schools throughout the county.

The reading coaches for these schools are Anne Wester of East End Elementary, Pat Nelson of Williamston Primary, Jodie Rawls of E J Hayes, Brenda Best of Edna Andrews Elementary, Martha Rae Gurganus of Rodgers Elementary, and Nedra Purvis of Jamesville Elementary.

The Reading First Grant is relatively new and is a product of the No Child Left Behind Act passed by President Bush January 8, 2002. Reading First is a focused nationwide effort to enable all students to become successful early readers. Funds are dedicated to help states and local school districts eliminate the reading deficit by establishing high-quality, comprehensive reading instruction in kindergarten through grade 3. 

Building on a solid foundation of research, the program is designed to select, implement, and provide professional development for teachers using scientifically based reading programs, and to ensure accountability through ongoing, valid and reliable screening, diagnostic, and classroom-based assessment.

While a workshop of today’s magnitude called for a reservation at the NC TeleCenter, there are smaller workshops held periodically at campuses around the county. The last meeting was held before the grant was awarded in the summer of 2004. The next meeting will be held in April with the reading coaches of the county’s schools.