'Too much to learn': Schools race to catch up kids' reading

This is a rotating carousel. You can navigate using the Next and Previous buttons.

1

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Michael Crowder, 11 years old, reads at an Atlanta after-school literacy program on April 6, 2023. Michael was unable to complete the first grade - the most important year in learning how to read. Atlanta offered online schooling for several months during the first fall pandemic. Michael's mother had just given birth, and their apartment was too small to have a quiet study area. He also missed much of the second grade.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

2

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Students ask questions while reading a book at Boyd Elementary School, Atlanta, Dec. 15, 2022. Gilbert-Jackson is in a unique position: she has known the majority of her students and their parents ever since the first pandemic. She taught in the first and second grades, and then followed them into third. She knows exactly how many days of school they missed and why.

Sharon Johnson/AP

See More

Show Less

4

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Michael Crowder (left) and Malaysia Strickland (center) are third-graders at Boyd Elementary School, Atlanta. They work on a reading comprehension task together. Teachers will usually guide students until the third grade to improve their literacy. Students are then expected to read challenging texts and improve their reading skills independently.

Sharon Johnson/AP

See More

Show Less

5

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Keione Vance, a third-grade teaching assistant at Boyd elementary school in Atlanta on Dec. 15, 2022, leads a reading lesson with a small number of students. Atlanta is one of only a few cities to have added class time for three years, 30 minutes per day.

Sharon Johnson/AP

See More

Show Less

7

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Tim McNeeley (left) helps students choose books to read at an after-school program for literacy in Atlanta, Thursday, April 6, 2030. Through the Atlanta-based Pure Hope Project, this after-school literacy program is available to students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

8

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Karter Hardeman (left) and Janayla Ralesey (center), both aged 7, read to Joshua Banks (right) during an after-school reading program in Atlanta, on April 6, 2023. Pure Hope Project in Atlanta offers an after-school literacy program for students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

10

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Michael Crowder, 11 years old, reads with a bookmark during an Atlanta after-school program on April 6, 2023. Michael Crowder, 11, has been reading books at the community center of his apartment complex most afternoons when he is not in class. The staff encourages the activity by throwing pizza parties. His report cards indicate improvement. His parents have noted his growth.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

11

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Michael Crowder (11, right) reads to Tim McNeeley (left), during an after-school reading program in Atlanta, on Thursday, 6 April 2023. McNeeley is the director of Atlanta's Pure Hope Project and hosts a daily program for kindergarten to fifth grade children.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

13

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Tim McNeeley (left) speaks to Narekeyla, 6, at an Atlanta after-school program on April 6, 2023. McNeeley is the director of Atlanta's Pure Hope Project and hosts the program daily for children from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

14

You can also find out more about the following:

17

Michael Crowder, 11 years old, reads in Atlanta, Georgia, during the daily literacy program after school on April 6, 2023. La'Neeka Gil-Jackson, Michael Crowder's elementary school teacher is least concerned about Michael. She is confident that he will find a solution to the challenges he faces in his new life, a world where self-reliance is required. She says, 'He wants to'. He'll catch up.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

16

You can also find out more about the following:

17

China Nash, 8 and Star Shields 7 read together in Atlanta, Georgia, during the daily literacy program after school on April 6, 2023. The program is available to students from kindergarten through fifth grades through the Atlanta-based Pure Hope Project.

Alex Slitz/AP

See More

Show Less

ATLANTA (AP), Michael Crowder, a third-grade teacher in Atlanta, stands nervously in the front row of his classroom with his mustard yellow polo shirt buttoned all the way up.

La'Neeka Gil-Jackson, his teacher, says, 'Give Us Some Vowels'. He searches a chart of vowels, consonant combinations, and word endings but can't find the answer. Gilbert-Jackson replies, 'Let us help him.'

She and the students all say 'A-E.I.O.U.'

Michael missed a large part of the first grade - the foundational year to learn how to read. Atlanta offered online schooling for several months during the first fall pandemic. Michael's mother had just given birth, and their apartment was too small to have a quiet study area. He also missed most of the second grade. Like most of his Atlanta classmates, he's not reading at the third-grade level.

This is a serious problem.

Michael's third grade class has one last chance to learn how to read with the help of their teachers before they are faced with more demanding expectations. Michael's class will be less likely to finish high school if they can't read well by the end of this school year. The third grade is a crucial year for a child, but the pandemic has made it harder. Nationally,

Third graders lose more ground

They're also slower to catch-up in reading.

Atlanta is one of only a few cities that have added 30 minutes per day to the class schedule for the past three years. Gilbert-Jackson can now spend more time explaining the confusing way that English words are formed and tailoring lessons for small groups of students according to their abilities.

She hopes that it will be sufficient. It has been a race for her to prepare students for the future, when reading is a key to everything else.

She says to her students, 'Yes, you work hard.' We have a lot to learn.

Slow Progress

Gilbert-Jackson’s class is subdued, and they are visibly tired just before the December break. Some students don't attend school because they are anticipating the long holiday. A girl who has been away for several weeks now swings her arms across her desk as she tries to fall asleep.

Gilbert-Jackson gently tells her, 'You've got to wake up, little girl.' You need to tell your mother to put you to sleep.

Gilbert-Jackson continues to teach despite the apparent lethargy. There is too much to be learned.

She explains how to pluralize words, including words ending in '-ch', '-tch. Gilbert-Jackson clarifies the rules of spelling for students who do not know their spellings. The district has mandated a phonics program for third-graders, which is in line with the science-backed curriculums that are gaining popularity across the nation.

The district mandated the same curriculum last year for all students in first and second grades. The material can be boring and dry, with obscure terms like "digraph" and "trigraph." The students who are still learning the basics may look confused, while the strong readers will nod in agreement.

Gilbert-Jackson transforms the lesson into a fun quiz to inject some excitement into it. Students are excited as they rush to set up laptops.

Gilbert-Jackson shouts out 'Teach'. How do you spell Teach?

Students must choose between the words 'teach and' 'teach.'

Some children shout 'Yes!' from their desks when their scores appear on their screens.

Gilbert-Jackson says: "I don't understand why I hear so many yeses, when only half of them are right."

LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS

At the end of the first semester, 14 out of 19 students don't meet expectations in reading. Michael is one of them.

Gilbert-Jackson is in a unique position: she has known Michael, his classmates and parents since the beginning of the pandemic. She taught them first and second grades, and then followed them into third. She knows exactly how many days of school they missed and why. Boyd Elementary adopted a strategy to provide students with some consistency during the crisis.

It's paid off. She has been able to adapt her teaching style and provide care for her pupils at a school in which 81% of the families receive government assistance. She says, "I know what they are aware of."

Michael's ability to read is due in part to the long-term relationship he has had with his school. He knew two'sight' words at the end of the first grade -- 'a', and 'the'. First graders should have learned 200 high-frequency words by that time.

He is now reading at the midway point of third grade like a first-grade student in mid-year -- two years behind what he should be. Gilbert-Jackson says it is progress. She says, "You can see wheels turning." He'll sometimes draw a blank but he will still try.

Michael reads books in the community center of his apartment complex most afternoons when he is not at school. The staff encourages this activity by throwing pizza parties. His report cards indicate improvement. His parents have noted his growth.

Rico Morton, Michael's stepfather who manages a night pizza delivery shop and works as a landscaper, says, "I see a difference in him." Morton states that he now speaks complete sentences. I feel that he could be someone.

Michael's days as a student in Gilbert-Jackson’s third grade are numbered. He is still far behind the expectations of a third grader.

This is a critical inflection point. Teachers will usually guide students to improve their literacy up until the third grade. Students are then expected to read challenging texts and improve their reading skills independently. Researchers found that students who are not able to read fluently in third grade have a four-fold higher chance of dropping out or failing to finish high school. The risks are increased if the student does not graduate. Adults without a degree are more likely than others to end up behind bars.

Michael isn't alone in this dangerous zone. Some of his classmates can also read or understand at first grade level.

Michael was one of those who didn't attend Zoom class. Two girls attended classes and seemed to be doing very well. Gilbert-Jackson, however, believes that their parents did some of the work for them if not all. The girls also didn't learn how to read or write.

Gilbert-Jackson says that one of the girls can now read at a second-grade level. However, her comprehension is closer to a first-grader in mid-year. Gilbert-Jackson explains that the words "just bounce off" her. She doesn't internalize the information she reads. That's harder for me to fix.

The other girl, whose mother probably did her schoolwork while online learning was in progress, is reading at a level equivalent to a first-grader. Gilbert-Jackson is worried about her. She says, 'Let's assume she goes to fourth grade. Nobody will read to her.' I don't want them to fail.

There are not many alternatives

There are not many good options. Atlanta's district policy states that it will promote students in elementary schools who are able to'master' math, reading and other subjects. It is not clear how many students the district holds back. Atlanta's schools system has not responded to requests for information.

The practice of making students repeat a class has been abandoned across the nation, despite the fact that more students are held back due to the pandemic. Before the pandemic, research showed that the practice was associated with mixed results in the classroom. It can also stigmatize children and cause stress to families. This could also be expensive for schools, as it may require additional classes and teachers.

Four weeks of summer school will not be enough for these students to reach third-grade reading levels. Summer school attendance is low across the country.

According to the district, when students enter fourth grade their schools will test them on their math and reading levels. They 'will then be placed into the appropriate intervention'. Next year, teachers and students will get an extra half-hour of class each day. This is the final step in Atlanta's 3-year plan to combat pandemic setbacks.

Gilbert-Jackson began contacting parents of students before leaving for the Christmas break to discuss how their children are progressing and what'might or might not happen' regarding their prospects for fourth grades. She tells parents that, though it is rare, she can recommend or request holding back students.

She encourages parents not to give up on their children, to buy workbooks from dollar stores, and in some cases to agree to tests to determine if their child needs more specialized assistance.

Parents of struggling readers do not return her calls, nor attend parent-teacher conferences. Gilbert-Jackson says that in most cases she believes the parents are trying to do their best.

She says that some people have an attitude of 'I am sending you to the school and you should listen to this lady', but there is not much support from home.

No Easy Solutions

Gilbert-Jackson seems to have a plan for moving most of her students ahead, but two new students are proving to be a challenge.