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Durham defends reading program

Good for parents for being alert to the difference between a workbook and a book.

BY Sadia Latifi

DURHAM - Parents at some Durham elementary schools say a newly required curriculum focuses too much on tests and will stifle children's love of reading.

But officials said the "Reading Street" curriculum will ensure students learn the same material at all 29 elementary schools, including the humanities-focused Club Boulevard magnet school where the program has drawn the most fire.

Reading Street builds literacy by using stories from workbooks and prescribing set amounts of time for different activities.

It was developed in 2005 by publisher Scott Foresman to help schools meet No Child Left Behind standards.

Parents think it focuses too much on teaching to pass tests.

"I don't feel that a top-down, corporate, admin-heavy approach is what's going to improve learning for our children. I feel that our children learn from qualified, inspired teachers," said Julie Maxwell, a Club Boulevard parent.

School officials said parents were misinformed about the program.

"We're trying to provide equity across the district so that every child will have universal access to the standard course of study," said Stacey Wilson-Norman, assistant superintendent for elementary curriculum and instruction.

Durham Public Schools purchased the materials in 2007 using state textbook funds. The decision to require the curriculum follows a February literacy audit that found Durham schools falling short, Wilson-Norman said.

Jennifer Harrison, a fourth-grade teacher at Club Boulevard, said teachers learned about the new curriculum last week. She plans to study it more this weekend.

Wilson-Norman said to make it less stressful, teachers have been given three weeks' worth of lesson plans until they are ready to adapt it to their liking.

Club Boulevard emphasizes using "authentic literature" in classrooms, according to the school's Web site.

The Reading Street curriculum includes the use of novels and other books, Wilson-Norman said. Magnet schools will be able to shape aspects of the curriculum so they can "protect the integrity of their programs," she said.

— Sadia Latifi
The News & Observer
2009-08-27
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1663867.html

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