Montrose - Daily Press

Caitlin Switzer

MONTROSE - As a child, Brooke Hanks loved the book "Where the Red Fern Grows."

Jill Youngren, on the other hand, enjoyed reading a variety of short stories and periodicals.

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What both women have in common is a love for literacy, a passion that has blossomed into a career - one that allows them to share that love of learning with young people.

"Reading has opened doors to opportunity for me, as well as the pure enjoyment you get out of reading," Hanks said. "And as I got into my profession, I began reading a lot of professional material."

For Youngren, reading's power comes from the impact it has on people's daily lives.

"It gives confidence," she said. "People feel that they can go out and be whatever they want to be. We are always learning-it's really about the opportunities it gives us outside of reading."

Today Hanks and Youngren are both literacy coaches, and have been instrumental in obtaining grant funding to enhance reading education in two local schools.

It took approximately a month of research, assistance from leadership teams at Johnson and Olathe Elementary schools, and plenty of writing and sheer hard work on the part of both Youngren and Hanks. But that effort has paid off, in the form of Reading First grants for both Olathe and Johnson, similar to a $600,000 "Reading First" grant received several years ago by Northside Elementary.

Johnson and Olathe Elementary schools will each receive $250,000 per year, for the next three years, Montrose County School District Re-1J Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction B.J. Brown said. The money is provided by the state, through the Federally-initiated No Child Left Behind program.

The educational support provided by the grant is based on scientific research, Hanks said.

"This came about because of No Child Left Behind," she said. "After the Reading Excellence Acts of 1997, a panel convened to find out what is working when it comes to teaching reading. They looked at more than 100,000 science-based research studies, and made recommendations for teaching reading.

"Reading First will give our schools the funding they need to implement the findings of that research."

The research is based on very rigorous studies made over a long period of time, Youngren noted.

Both elementary schools will receive materials and resources, as well as extra professional development time to allow teachers to build more effective skills for teaching literacy, Hanks said.

"We will support the teachers through coaching," Hanks said. "We will model lessons, observe, and provide feedback."

Teachers will spend a portion of each Wednesday furthering their reading education skills, thanks to time allotted by the school district this year through its professional learning communities (PLCs), she added.

"Now, they will have even more time to look at student data, set learning goals, and help one another instruct with good strategies to ensure growth," she said. "And we will put structures in place, so that failure is not an option."

Supporting the reading education strategies will be additional assessments, Youngren noted.

"There are four different types," she said. "There are screening assessments, assessments for monitoring progress and checking growth. There are diagnostic assessments, for those who are not making progress. And there is the outcome, which is represented by the CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program)."

The additional funding will also provide further learning opportunities for students, in the form of before and after school programs for extra time and support, and additional library and classroom materials, Hanks said.

"That is very important, because we have such a high number of English language learners," Youngren said. "This will help us support them, by providing transportation and added learning opportunities."

While Re-1J students also benefit from $279,000 in yearly funding for three years, provided through Read to Achieve grants at all six elementary schools, Read to Achieve monies are targeted at second and third grade students who have been placed on Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs). Reading First funds, on the other hand, will support all Johnson and Olathe students from kindergarten through third grade.

Both schools had to pass site visits before receiving grant approval, Hanks said.

"This requires a big commitment," she said. "The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) was very impressed that our schools were so committed, and that we had such a high level of buy-in and planning. This says a lot about the teachers in our community, that they were ready and willing to do something that they know will benefit our kids."

School officials are very pleased to receive the additional funding.

"This is going to give our teachers a lot of additional training in reading instruction, which they are really excited about," Johnson Elementary Principal Ann Braaten said. "If a child has a specific area where they are weak in reading, this will help us figure what we need to do to remediate that area."

One reason Johnson, Olathe and Northside are Reading First grant recipients is because the student populations include a high number of students who are considered to be at risk, she said.

"They look at the number of students who are on free or reduced-price lunches," she explained. "Those are the students that CDE is concerned with, who may be at risk. Almost 60 percent of our students are on free or reduced lunches.

"This is great," Braaten said. "We are really excited."

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