Three hundred Union County Public Schools ( UCPS ) principals , assistant principals and curriculum staff flooded Cuthbertson High School for the Summer Instructional Leadership Institute , the school district ’ s annual three-day professional development conference . Building on the district-wide focus on literacy , the administrators and staff walked away from the conference on June 22 with a literacy plan to help students at all levels and with varying abilities at their schools become successful .
Kicking off the conference on June 20 , UCPS Superintendent Dr . Andrew Houlihan referred to literacy as a “ gateway ” and emphasized research that shows students who are not reading at or above grade level by the third grade are much more likely to drop out of school .
“ So here ’ s our goal : by 2020 , we want 90 percent of our third-graders reading at or above grade level . But third-grade reading is not a third-grade issue ,” he said , also encouraging staff at the middle and high schools to consider how they support their feeder schools . “ Literacy is a K-12 challenge . It ’ s not just an elementary school challenge .”
Dr . Houlihan also discussed UCPS ’ purpose and focus during the upcoming year , which includes an increased focus on data , relationships and forwardthinking as well as ensuring that staff at the elementary , middle and high schools collaborate and work together to reach the school district ’ s goals . Major points of emphasis for 2017-18 , he added , include continuing to focus on the revamped literacy framework , enhancing college and career readiness strategies and improving the lowest-performing schools .
Sardis Elementary Media Coordinator Blair Austin , who taught a workshop on the Maker Movement , said she keeps literacy at the forefront of everything she does .
Through innovative ideas like Makerspaces – a section in her media center where students are allowed to create , invent and learn -- she is able to combine technology , creative thinking and literature .
“ Libraries are changing – they ’ re no longer quiet spaces where you can only come in to read . Kids learn through hands-on activities , so my job is to come in and teach media skills by asking questions and encouraging the students to do more research ,” she said , adding that she hopes the movement continues to grow in UCPS . “ Stories and literature are used as a springboard for activities . We ’ re bringing the books in the library to life .”
With more than 40 workshops related to literacy available , Sandy Ridge Elementary Assistant Principal Patricia Yetter said she was excited to spend the week learning more about how to implement some of the creative ideas at her school during the upcoming school year .
“ Right now , we have an opportunity to collaborate and work together toward a common goal ,” she said . “ During the school year , we ’ re so busy . This sets everything up for us so we can collaborate together as professionals .” — This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communications Office .
14 • Sept / Oct 2017 • Parent Teacher Magazine
UCPS staff collaborates to navigate its way through literacy
Building on the district-wide focus on literacy , the administrators and staff walked away from the Summer Instructional Leadership Institute with a literacy plan to help students at all levels and with varying abilities at their schools become successful .
UCPS ’ purpose and focus during the upcoming year includes ensuring that staff collaborate and work together to reach the school district ’ s goals , which include an increased focus on data , relationships and forward-thinking , plus revamped literacy framework , enhancing college and career readiness strategies and improving the lowest-performing schools .
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