The Need

It is crucial for young children to obtain literacy skills in the early grades. Without a strong foundation in reading, writing and speaking, children are ill-equipped to succeed in school and in future careers. Unfortunately, many Philadelphia students come to school lacking fundamental literacy skills. In classrooms that often contain thirty students, it is extremely difficult for one teacher to meet an individual student's literacy needs. Because of this, many students are left behind and destined for academic failure.

The Purpose

In 1999, the School District of Philadelphia, with funds from the U.S. Department of Education, hired more than 250 college graduates, including mid-career job changers, to serve as Literacy Intern Teachers in K-2 classrooms across the city. Literacy Intern Teachers were paired with veteran teachers, reducing the student-teacher ratio in these classrooms to 15:1. The Philadelphia Education Fund collaborated with the District to design the program. Basically the program offers Literacy Intern Teachers and their Partner Teachers intensive professional development, starting with a nine-day summer institute and continuing throughout the school year, in classroom collaboration and teaching primary students to read and write through the implementation of a comprehensive literacy program.
By focusing the two teachers on enhancing early literacy skills during a 150 minutes literacy learning block each morning and throughout the school day, the initiative is helping to ensure that thousands of students will enter future grades with the literacy skills needed to succeed in school and in life. The program also provides Literacy Intern Teachers with six graduate education credits toward permanent teacher certification and adjunct faculty support during their first year.
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Accomplishments

• Since 1999-2000, the Reduced Class Size/Balanced Literacy program has grown from 250 classrooms to 1000 classrooms in 2001-02.
• Approximately 52,500 Philadelphia K-2 students have benefited
• Approximately 85% of Literacy Intern Teachers have chosen to remain teaching in the District. Approximately 100 of them are now teaching in classrooms of their own.
• More children in reduced Class Size/Balanced Literacy Classrooms are reading and writing at grade level benchmarks than in classrooms operating without this program.
  

Funding Source

School District of Philadelphia (through U.S. Department of Education funds)


Contact Information

Allie Mulvilhill, Senior Program Director

Carmen Arias, Administrative Assistant