Book study has helped Brookhaven Middle School transform its culture, principal Larry Collier and assistant principal Danna Jones told their ASCD Annual Conference audience. The Alabama school, whose 720 students are mostly from families in poverty, has seen student achievement climb as teachers have read and discussed books such as these:
- No Excuses, by Samuel Casey Carter
- What Really Matters for Struggling Readers, by Richard L. Allington
- A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby K. Payne
- Whatever It Takes, by Richard DuFour and others
- Bringing Words to Life, by Isabel Beck and others
- Dream Keepers, by Gloria Ladson-Billings
- When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, by Kylene Beers.
Educators at the school have implemented ideas they discovered through these books, such as “Data Meetings” where they pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses. They have also bolstered math and reading instruction by integrating science and math, and social studies and reading. This curriculum integration has fostered peer coaching, the presenters noted.
Some teachers initially resisted some of the changes, Jones said. But once they began to see the improvement in their students’ achievement, they embraced the new approaches.
Reporting by Scott Willis, ASCD's director of book acquisitions and development.
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