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The NJAPIE Board | Enthusiastic
Reader Partnership
Enthusiastic
Reader Partnership The Excelsior Caters in Manalapan is an upscale banquet facility where one is more likely to see high school students dressed in formal attire and dancing to a DJ at a prom, rather than sitting attentively at a literary luncheon discussing a book. However, this unlikely scenario has become an annual event since the Freehold Regional High School District and Freehold Barnes and Noble established a partnership to promote reading through the Enthusiastic Reader Program, where students who read independently beyond the classroom are recognized at an author luncheon. Rationale Living in a society that is bombarded by video games, computers, DVDs, and ipods; reading is quickly becoming obsolete. The bookless world that science fiction writer Ray Bradbury created in Fahrenheit 451 is no longer so distant from reality in our culture. Statistically, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, twelfth-grade average reading scores in 2002 were lower than in 1002 and 1998. There was a decline in reading performance since 1992, which was evident across most of the score distribution (10th, 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles). Furthermore, the percentages of twelfth-graders who performed at or above the Basic and Proficient levels decreased between 1998 and 2002, and thus fell below levels seen in 1992. Moreover, research has shown that time spent reading correlates with academic success, vocabulary development, standardized-test performance, attitudes toward additional reading, and the development of world knowledge (Moore, Bean, Birdyshaw & Rycik, 1999). The National assessment of Educational Progress documents that students who never read for fun often have low reading ability and avoid recreational reading (National Institute of Literacy 1002). This partnership provides students with the opportunity to talk about what they read, not only with their peers, but with highly regarded authors who make books their business, and this generates excitement for independent reading. Being aware of these statistics and realizing that reading independently is integral to student success, Freehold Regional High School District and the Freehold Barnes and Noble have partnered to promulgate reading beyond the classroom as an activity that reaps the same accolades that students receive when they achieve in sports, music, community service or any other arena. Consequently, the Enthusiastic Reader Program was developed to foster teenage literacy and to recognize the achievements of students who read independently beyond the classroom. Overview The key activity of the partnership between Freehold Regional and Barnes and Noble is to reward students who read independently by bringing noted authors into the schools, giving the students copies of their books to read, and inviting the youngsters to have breakfast or lunch with these authors to discuss their books. The following authors have been part of this program: Paul Zindel, Todd Strasser, Donna Jo Napoli, Paul Watkins, Charles Siebert, Peter Genovese, Mary Jane Clark, A. Manette Ansay, Jodi Picoult, and this year Robert Kurson. The students have sometimes been encouraged to invite a fellow student who is an unenthusiastic reader or a parent to read the selected book and chat with the author, but as the program has expanded, this has become prohibitive. The visiting author first speaks formally to the students about the writing of the book and then a discussion ensues. Upon completion of the presentation, the students are served lunch and the author circulates the room much in the fashion of a bride and groom at a wedding, chatting with students and signing an personalizing their books. As a culmination to the event, each student is given a certificate recognizing that they have been nominated to receive the Enthusiastic Reader Award. Structure of the Program Initially, the Community Outreach Department of the Freehold Barnes and Noble Booksellers works closely with the schools, suggesting titles for our students to read and calling publishers to procure an author who is willing to interact with our students. All of the authors who have visited have been contacted by Barnes and Noble and have agreed to travel to the school and work with the students at their own expense. Also, the books are purchased from the store at a substantial discount. Once the author is chosen, the students are given invitations to the luncheon and copies of the author's book, which they are asked to read before the event. Every spring approximately 300 high school students, from the six high schools of the Freehold Regional High School District, are nominated by their English teachers and librarians based upon the following criteria:
Equal Access to All Students The Enthusiastic Reader Program provides learning opportunities for all students and the selection process does not preclude any specialized population. In fact, it targets recognition for special education and basic skills learners. The criteria for selection are the same for all students, which is to show an enthusiasm for reading and to read independently beyond the classroom. The beauty of the program is that special education and basic skill learners who are not often admitted to rigid academic societies, can meet the objectives of the Enthusiastic Reader Program. This gives these youngsters the opportunity to be a part of a select group of students who enjoy reading beyond the classroom and to feel a sense of accomplishment for being recognized to attend the Enthusiastic Reader Awards. Parents often comment that this is the only achievement that their children have received and they are extremely proud of them. The benefits of independent reading can be gained n any level, but research shows that the growth in reading metacognition is most significant if one can encourage struggling readers to find enjoyment in reading books. With the recent initiation on No Child Left Behind, the Enthusiastic Reader Program has become even more vital to the success of special education and basic skills students. In this vein, funds from the NCLB grant are earmarked to facilitate this program Benefits Almost all of the students who have been recognized as Enthusiastic Readers have scored proficient on the Language Arts Literacy section of the HSPA. In addition, the Enthusiastic Reader Program is congruent to the Core Content Reading Standard 3.1; it encourages independent reading with fluency and comprehension and enables young people to become lifelong readers and learners. As stated in the NJDOE Reading Core Content Standard explanation, "Students benefit from 'daily opportunities to read books they choose for themselves, for their own purposes, and their own pleasures' (Calkins, 2001)." The standard continues to state that students should read grade-appropriate self-selected literature "in order to grow as readers and deepen their understanding of texts." In addition, "students need many opportunities to think about, talk about, and write about the texts they are reading." This partnership provides students with the opportunity to talk about what they read, not only with their peers, but with highly regarded authors who make books their business and this generates excitement for independent reading. Thus, philosophically, the mission of the partnership between the Freehold Regional High School District and Barnes and Noble is to develop global lifelong independent readers who talk about books in their classes and use what they have read to gain a greater understanding of not only curricular topics, but also the world at large. Ultimately, the partnership between Freehold Regional and Barnes and Noble has expanded to other avenues that have enhanced the English curricula. The staff at Barnes and Noble is constantly sharing new titles of books via staff development presentations. Often the literature suggested correlates to the core pieces of literature that our students are required to read, and as a result, these core pieces have become featured titles on the English Department's summer reading lists or have been incorporated into our English courses. Also Enthusiastic Readers have been invited to participate in the in-store book chats and author visits. In fact, on several occasions both Freehold Regional High School students and teachers were featured presenters for the public at large. Most importantly the partnership has been a positive force to ensure that our students realize that reading is integral to success in their future endeavors and the the bookless world of Fahrenheit 451 will never become a reality at the Freehold Regional High School District. About the Authors Cynthia Baumgartner is the District Supervisor of English at the Freehold Regional High School District. This includes: Colts Neck, Freehold, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan, and Marlboro High Schools. James H. Wasser is Superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District. It is the largest regional high school district in New Jersey. President's Message There's a well-known "icebreaker" for large gatherings that underscores the importance of collaborative thinking. Each participant gets a paper cup and a small piece of paper, and is asked to write down a handful of ways that the cup might be used, and to put the piece of paper back in the cup. The cups are collected, and a "master list" of all the answers is created. While each slip of paper contains five or six possible used for the cup, the master list contains dozens. The message is clear: when we work together, bigger and better things happen. That's pretty much the point of NJAPIE, when you think about it. There is no limit to the good work we can do as we seek to establish an ever-expanding network of partnerships to enhance our public schools. Whether it is through partnerships among schools and businesses, higher education institutions, or community organizations, the more people we can get to become involved, the greater the benefit for our students. We recognize the very best of those efforts with our annual Exemplary Partnership Program Awards. Since their inception in 1994, NJAPIE has recognized 37 exemplary partnerships - seven last year alone - and we're hoping to increase the number this year. The deadline for applying is February 18, and all entries must be submitted to NJAPIE on a disk, along with six (6) hard copies. All disks must be labeled with the program name. Complete information on how to apply is offered on the NJAPIE website, at http://njapie.org/awards/submission.html. For the purposes of these awards, we define a "partnership in education" as a collaborative effort between school(s) or school district(s) and one or more community organizations with the purpose of improving the academic and personal growth of America's youth. Nominated programs must have existed for at least two years, and will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including uniqueness, stability, relationship to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, and impact on targeted populations. The NJAPIE awards represent the very best in creativity, organizing, and outreach - in short, the very best in what determined and dedicated people can achieve when they put their minds to the task. In the end, we're talking about expanding opportunities for our children to learn and to excel. Opportunity is truly the engine behind public education, because it exemplifies the "ultimate American experience." No other nation on earth provides its citizens with as much opportunity for individual expression and success as America, and public education lies at the root of that unique endeavor. Please encourage those who are engaged in effective, successful partnerships to apply for this year's NJAPIE awards. By identifying the best, we can encourage even more partnerships. Because as the exercise with the cups shows, when we combine our efforts, an infinite realm of great ideas is possible.
NEW JERSEY ASSOCIATION OF PARTNERS
IN EDUCATION NJAPIE, a not-for-profit organization, represents many schools, businesses, community groups, educators, and individual volunteers who work together as partners to help students achieve educational excellence. The New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) provides management services to NJAPIE, which retains its own governing board, bylaws and policies.
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