Barksdale Literacy Teachers' First Year Experiences" (2007)
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 8-1-2007 Reforming reading instruction in Mississippi through demonstration classes : Barksdale Literacy Teachers' first eary experiences Deborah Duncan Owens Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Owens, Deborah Duncan, "Reforming reading instruction in Mississippi through demonstration classes : Barksdale Literacy Teachers' first year experiences" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 3752. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/3752 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REFORMING READING INSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI THROUGH DEMONSTRATION CLASSES: BARKSDALE LITERACY TEACHERS’ FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES By Deborah Duncan Owens A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Elementary Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State, Mississippi August 2007 Copyright by Deborah Duncan Owens 2007 REFORMING READING INSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI THROUGH DEMONSTRATION CLASSES: BARKSDALE LITERACY TEACHERS’ FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES By Deborah Duncan Owens Approved: _________________________________ _________________________________ Dwight Hare Nancy Verhoek-Miller Professor Professor Department of Curriculum and Instruction Department of Curriculum and Instruction Director of Dissertation Committee Member __________________________________ _________________________________ Kay Brocato Margaret Pope Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Department of Curriculum and Instruction Department of Curriculum and Instruction Committee Member Committee Member __________________________________ __________________________________ Monica Riley Linda Coats Assistant Professor Associate Professor Department of Education Graduate Coordinator Mississippi University for Women Department of Curriculum and Instruction __________________________________ Richard Blackbourn Dean of the College of Education Name: Deborah Duncan Owens Date of Degree: August 11, 2007 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Curriculum and Instruction Major Professor: Dr. Dwight Hare Title of Study: REFORMING READING INSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI THROUGH DEMONSTRATION CLASSES: BARKSDALE LITERACY TEACHERS’ FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCES Pages in Study: 252 Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Mississippi’s low rate of literacy has been the focus of concern for educators and policy makers for many years. At the same time the National Reading Panel (National Institute of Health, 2000) was attempting to resolve the issue of which methods were most effective in teaching children to read by conducting a meta-analysis of reading research, Mississippi was developing a reform model, the Mississippi Reading Reform Model (MRRM), to raise the reading achievement of its students. In 2000 James Barksdale, founder of Netscape, donated one hundred million dollars to Mississippi and founded the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI) in order to assist in the implementation of the MRRM and, ultimately, raise the literacy rates in Mississippi. In 2006 BRI initiated a reading reform model in the form of demonstration classrooms. Core reading instruction for kindergarten and first grade students at-risk for reading failure in the demonstration classrooms was provided by the Barksdale Literacy Teachers (BLTs). Reading interventions were provided for kindergarten through third grade students in the demonstration classrooms by the BLTs and an Intervention Specialist (IS). Reading methods and strategies promoted by the NRP formed the basis of instruction in the demonstration classrooms. The subject of this qualitative study is the experiences of 12 BLTs as they implemented demonstration classrooms across Mississippi. The researcher investigated the BLTs’ personal experiences as they worked with students, predominantly African Americans and from low-socioeconomic communities. The Read Well program was used in the classrooms as a means of ensuring the use of NRP promoted methods. Research findings reveal the problems associated with teaching struggling readers who are also living with the effects of poverty. BLTs described their use of a scripted commercial program and problems the program posed for their students as speakers of African American Vernacular English. DEDICATION In appreciation for their love, patience and encouragement, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my children, Cody, Brooke, and Jonathan. For their limitless love and support, I would like to thank my parents, Gus and Faye Duncan, and dedicate this dissertation to them as well. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Earning my Ph.D. has been a journey that has become an integral part of my life and, while I’m glad to be rounding the bend to completion, and ready to begin a new adventure, I’ll always remember these past few years as the time when I truly discovered my life’s work. I want to thank Dr. Dwight Hare for serving as a beacon of light, allowing me to travel slowly when I was weary and run when I was able. As I begin my career in higher education, I hope to follow his example as an advisor and mentor. I also want to thank my committee members for their guidance and generosity of spirit: Dr. Nancy Verhoek-Miller, Dr. Kay Brocato, Dr. Margaret Pope, and Dr. Monica Riley. I want to acknowledge James Barksdale’s commitment to improving the literacy rates in Mississippi and the work of the Barksdale Reading Institute. Undoubtedly, there are many children who have benefited from the contributions of the Barksdale Reading Institute. My work with the institute has been invaluable in helping me to hone my skills as a literacy teacher. I am proud, too, to have worked with some of the best teachers I have ever known, and I want to thank them for sharing their experiences and stories with me. My inspiration has always been the children I have taught. From them I’ve learned that teaching is an art, a skill, and a reciprocal relationship. I am a richer person for every child I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1 Background Information.................................................................................1 Mississippi’s Efforts to Maintain Segregated Schools .............................2 “Thank God for Mississippi:” Mississippi’s Low Literacy Rates ............6 National Focus on Education Reform and Mississippi’s Education Reform Act of 1982...........................................................7 The Barksdale Reading Institute...................................................................10 Barksdale Reading Institute – Getting Started........................................11 The Mississippi Reading Reform Model ................................................12 Barksdale Reading Institute under the Leadership of Claiborne Barksdale..........................................................................15 Adjustments to Barksdale Reading Institute’s Approach .......................17 BRI, the Higher Education Literacy Council, and Phonics Instruction..21 BRI Evaluates its Work and Data ...........................................................25 A New Approach to Reforming Reading Instruction .............................38 A Detailed Description of the Barksdale Demonstration Classroom Project.............................................................................42 Barksdale Literacy Teacher (BLT) ...................................................42 Intervention Specialist (IS)...............................................................43 The Demonstration Classroom and Furnishings...............................43 Instructional Materials and Curriculum............................................46 Small Group Instruction and Classroom Management.....................49 Assessments ......................................................................................52 Accelerated Reader...........................................................................55 iv The Goal of the Demonstration Classroom Project ................................55 Purpose of the Study .....................................................................................56 Research Questions.......................................................................................57 Importance of the Study................................................................................57 II. LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................60 The National Reading Panel .........................................................................60