Texas's Raul Yzaguirre School for Success Partners with American Reading Company to Launch Nation's First ACTION 100 Dual Language Reading Initiative

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Raul Yzaguirre School for Success, Brownsville Campus, announced today a new partnership with American Reading Company that will provide extensive teacher training, student incentives, and data-tracking systems to ensure all students are meeting reading goals.  All students will participate in ACTION 100, American Reading Company's Response to Intervention (RtI) accountability model.  A special kickoff event for the entire school community, including parents and distinguished guests, including Dr. Richard Gomez, will take place on Tuesday, September 28th, at 9:00 AM at Camino del Rey church, located at 960 West Ruben M. Torres in Brownsville, Texas.  

Research shows that most students who are behind in reading are behind because they haven't read enough.  ACTION 100 changes this, as students will be expected to read 800 "steps" or 200 hours per school year using the 100 Book Challenge reading incentive system.  Administrators and teachers will undergo 30 days of training to master research-based teaching methods aligned to the new Common Core Standards and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).  The program is also designed to integrate with the school's use of the Gomez & Gomez 50/50 Dual Language Enrichment Model and provides state-of-the-art classroom leveled libraries in both English and Spanish.  

"This year we are making a significant investment in teacher training," says Principal Raul Yzaguirre, Jr. "And we are also putting the challenge out to parents to become active coaches in home reading practice. With a collective effort, we are on our way to ensure every child is reading on or above grade level in both English and Spanish, in accordance to our Dual Language Program."

Every day, students will choose books at their "just right" reading level from their classroom libraries.  Students will read in class for one hour daily while their teacher monitors progress and provides differentiated instruction based on the needs of each child.  The students will also take their "just right" books home to read an additional 30 minutes each night. Parents will receive training and sign contracts to be Home Coaches, agreeing to supervise reading at home and to sign daily logs that document their child's "steps" in reading practice.

According to Jane Hileman, Founder and CEO of American Reading Company, "With Principal Yzaguirre's leadership commitment, extensive professional development, and daily parent participation, we expect to see significant reading gains for all students in both English and Spanish."

About American Reading Company

American Reading Company transforms school cultures to create sustainable reading achievement through training, management, and monitoring. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Today, more than a million students in 2,100 schools across 420 districts in 41 states participate in the company's programs, which include ACTION 100, 100 Book Challenge, Research Labs, and Summer School Express. For more information, please visit www.americanreading.com.

SOURCE American Reading Company