Needed in Tennessee: An Early Reading Revolution

posted in: General Information |

In a November 2011 position paper, the Education Consumers Foundation highlights the lack of progress in boosting literacy rates in Tennessee schools and introduces Direct Instruction as a proven solution. Click here to access this paper along with a host of support materials, including charts highlighting reading proficiency rates in each Tennessee district; directories of resources, trainers, and contacts experienced with DI in Tennessee; and more.

Are Tennessee’s Children Learning to Read?

posted in: Data Scoreboards, Graphic Tools Used in Tennessee, Tools for Rating Schools |

Reading is the most essential skill that children learn in school. It is taught over a 4-5 year period that begins in preschool or kindergarten and extends to 3rd grade. Beyond 3rd grade, schooling turns from learning to read, to reading to learn. Promoting children to the 4th and subsequent grades without sound reading skills not only reduces their chances of success, it misleads their parents about the child’s progress, it unloads poorly equipped and discouraged learners on … Read More

New from ECF: Find out how much reading failures cost your community

posted in: General Information |

Students who can’t read by the end of third grade pay a terrible price for the rest of their lives. These poor outcomes cost their community as well – and the Education Consumers Foundation’s new calculator can estimate just how much. Dropouts and unprepared graduates consume disproportionately large amounts of public services for welfare, criminal justice, healthcare and education. Visit our new calculator to see the costs incurred by your community, or see our press release on the … Read More

Primer on Testing in Tennessee

Testing in Tennessee: A Primer for Parents Every state has a system for gauging student achievement. In Tennessee, it’s called the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP. The TCAP Achievement Test – a criterion-referenced achievement test given in grades 3-8 – is given once per year in the spring.  It measures student achievement in math, reading/language arts, science, and social studies. The TCAP Achievement Test is a version of McGraw Hill’s Terra Nova examination, customized to Tennessee’s curriculum. The … Read More

Student Projection Reports

One of the best-kept secrets in Tennessee education is the availability of Student Projection Reports. These reports, available to parents and guardians, show how a student has performed on past achievement tests and how he or she can be expected to perform in the future. They can help you determine whether your child is on a path to success, or if you need to seek additional help before it’s too late. Where the Data Comes From The Tennessee Department … Read More

Recommended Reading

Emily Hanford on Why Children aren’t Learning to Read Journalist Emily Hanford explains how teacher training grounded in flawed pedagogical theory has brought about decades of shockingly poor reading outcomes in American public schools.  Her reporting on the subject is the clearest of any observer in 50 years.      Clear Teaching Clear Teaching: With Direct Instruction, Siegfried Engelmann Discovered a Better Way of Teaching Written by veteran journalist Shepard Barbash over a period of 10 years, Clear Teaching is a … Read More

Policy & Leadership

ECF has numerous tools to help keep you informed. Check out the links below for more detailed reports and articles. Direct Instruction Resources The Education Consumers Foundation has made available a great deal of information for those wishing to see real and dramatic improvements in reading proficiency rates. [small_button text=”Direct Instruction Resources” title=”Direct Instruction Resources” url=”/resources/direct-instruction-resources/” align=”left” target=”_self” style=”light”]   Policy Highlights: Tennessee’s Race to the Top Application Article about the “Significant Reforms Found in Tennessee’s Race to … Read More

Schooling & Society

ECF has numerous tools to help keep you informed. Check out the links below for more detailed reports and articles. Americans Know Very Little About Local School Quality A cheating scandal involving teachers in Atlanta has captured national attention and revealed a profound breach of trust in the public education system. [small_button text=”Local School Quality” title=”Local School Quality” url=”http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/060613-659072-americans-show-shocking-ignorance-about-local-school-quality.htm” align=”left” target=”_blank” style=”light”]   Reversing American Decline Resources Links America’s current economic, social, and cultural directions to decades of … Read More

Teaching & Learning

ECF has numerous tools to help keep you informed. Check out the links below for more detailed reports and articles. Effective Schools, Common Practices Reading failure is imposing a hidden annual surtax: Find out how much your schools are contributing to the problem.  [small_button text=”Effective School Practices” title=”Effective School Practices” url=”/tnproject/EffectiveSchools_CommonPractices_ECF.pdf” align=”left” target=”_blank” style=”light”]   Learning Requires More than Play A decidedly different view of why successful students pay attention, complete their assignments, and succeed. [small_button text=”Successful Students” … Read More

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