A panel of teachers will speak at 6 p.m. April 16 in the Crawfordsville High School commons about how children learn to read in Montgomery County.
Panel members will represent all three school districts and the early childhood coalition. While this is a program of interest to everyone in the public, parents of preschool and school-age children are especially invited to come to learn, to share experiences, and to support literacy in the community.
In recent years, and especially since the pandemic, state statistics on literacy rates in Indiana have been concerning to many. This has led to the perception that we have a literacy “crisis” in the state and to a push for schools to move to adopt the science of reading. In Montgomery County we face these challenges in helping our children learn to read, but our schools have robust reading programs that are aligned with one another, and are effective. This is not to say that there are not many challenges. Each panel member will address a crucial piece of the reading landscape in our schools, and how parents can help build a strong foundation in children early in life.
Panel members for the evening include: Wendy Myers (South Montgomery), Lisa Walter (MCCF Early Childhood Coalition), Brittany Cooper (Crawfordsville) and Anthony Tharp (North Montgomery). Dr. Kathleen Steele, retired superintendent of the Crawfordsville Community School Corporation, will be the moderator.
Audience members will be encouraged to think about their own literacy formation, and there will be an opportunity for questions and answers after the presentations. Attendees will also be eligible for door prize drawings for gift cards to local cafes. Random House will be giving away children’s books.
As citizens it behooves us to understand more fully how reading education happens in our county, what our county statistics are, and how we can work as a community to support our parents, our teachers, and our children as we together to be a more fully literate community. The panel will address these issues and others. Audience members will see footage of teachers and students engaged in the “learning to read” process.
Following this presentation, Steele will entertain questions from audience members. The more people are in attendance, the richer the conversation will be.
The ability to read — literacy — is the cornerstone of any democratic society. On that ability rests the capacity to understand, analyze, and make informed decisions about issues of public concern. These are the “jobs” of well informed citizens in a democracy and prepare people to make informed choices when they vote.
The public is invited to attend this program about how teaching reading works in Montgomery County. Social media, as well as national and state press can mislead and confuse our perceptions about what is happening in schools. Come and be better informed about how our Montgomery County public schools perform one of their biggest jobs: teaching children to read.
This program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County in partnership with the three Montgomery County public school systems and the Montgomery County Community Foundation.
