The Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) program currently operates in about 4,000 public libraries with the aim of engaging parents as they help their young children develop early literacy skills. In this article, the authors (who have studied the program) provide case studies of two libraries—one with an ECRR program and one without—and compare the types of engagement in both settings. They then offer takeaways for what K–5 educators can learn from the ECRR program to foster an environment where parents are partners in teaching children valuable literacy skills.

Lessons on Family Engagement from Librarians

Donna C. Celano

Naomi A. Moland

Susan B. Neuman

Kindergarten / Pre-Kindergarten

Literacy

Early childhood education

Family and community engagement

Engagement

Instructional Strategies

"Data-drive instruction can distort the way reading is taught, harming the students who need high-quality instruction the most," Susan B. Neuman concludes from her research team's two years of observation in nine low-income New York City schools. She describes how some students are reminded that they are "failures" every day by color-coded spreadsheets of test score data prominently displayed in the classroom. In addition, the constant emphasis on improving assessment results leads to instruction that features mindless worksheets focused on basic facts, instead of the content-rich instruction these students need. This article creates a vivid picture of instruction that gives students the "unintended message that reading has no real meaning, no delight, and no purpose other than answering one or two questions that are duly recorded on a clipboard." The author does not recommend abandoning data-driven instruction, but rather transforming it to be more student-centered.

Code Red: The Danger of Data-Driven Instruction

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Engaged (whole child)

Supported (whole child)

Whole Child

Diverse classrooms and schools

Data management and analysis

Equity

Libraries at the Ready

English learners (ELLs)

School and district leadership

Leadership

Political leaders, Neuman writes, are gambling that universal pre-K will close the knowledge gap between children of wealthy and poor families, and certainly preschool has that potential. But to realize this potential, we must consider carefully what goes on in classrooms and ensure that teachers are using the time well, to strengthen students' content knowledge as they strengthen their literacy abilities, through stimulating, content-soaked lessons. Neuman, who has long written about the importance of early education and recently conducted observations of preschool classrooms, lists four research-based principles of how young children learn that educators must keep in mind. She describes a day in a preschool class she observed that enriches content knowledge while building literacy—and the key things this exemplar reveals about how to get the most out of pre-K.

Content-Rich Instruction in Preschool

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Reading

Achievement gap

Content Area: Language arts

Author

Susan B. Neuman

About

Expertise

Articles by Susan B.

Lessons on Family Engagement from Librarians

Code Red: The Danger of Data-Driven Instruction

Libraries at the Ready

Content-Rich Instruction in Preschool

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