• The training included discussions of struggles with literacy instruction in Oakland and nationally, training in the science of reading, and sessions designed to attune fellows to the needs of specific groups, such as bilingual students and those with learning differences. [...] According to this staff member, candidates should be “motivated by the idea that [they] want Oakland to be a city of readers, and that [they] feel connected to that vision and mission.” The goal of the training program was not simply to equip recruits with a basic understanding of how to deliver phonics lessons, but to deepen those connections to that vision and mission. [...] Being able to sound out a word is not enough.” During one session offered by the advocacy group Decoding Dyslexia CA, the fellows attempted to parse a passage from the second chapter of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild with letters changed to simulate the experience of a child with a reading disability. [...] It is about taking the community itself and putting them in the driver’s seat to make certain that there is academic success.” One Oakland education leader said that the Liberator initiative will require a fundamental belief in the often-overlooked strengths that community members bring to the table, as well as a willingness to help them overcome historic and systemic barriers to becoming educator. [...] So, the type of investment we need in their mental health and their leadership development and all the things is real.” School systems have historically struggled to make these investments, but the experiences of the Liberators point to the potential payoff.
- Pages
- 10
- Published in
- United States of America
