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Charter Schools Newsletter March 2016

In this Issue

Reading is a Universal Right

Margery Mayer, Executive Vice President, Intervention Solutions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt™

Originally posted on The Spark

The most recent results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveal a sad fact: about two-thirds of students in the United States are not proficient readers. NAEP has been measuring student progress in the country for decades, and despite wave after wave of educational reform and increased funding in recent years, the needle has barely moved.

The intractability of this problem has many root causes. One data point, however, is abundantly clear: the greatest common denominator is poverty. Not always, but all too often, children from low-income households come to school with language challenges, a lack of early educational opportunities, and limited exposure to language and books. They frequently have additional obstacles to success in school emitting from a fragile family structure—hunger, health issues, overworked single parents, and unstable living environments. These conditions have a negative impact on school attendance and learning.

But it’s not just poverty that is contributing to low achievement levels. Our education system has not cracked the code or identified the resources to consistently deliver world-class instruction and curriculum for ALL students. Many students need smartly delivered, differentiated instruction to close their gaps.

Unfortunately, without intensive intervention—the research is clear—kids do not just “get better.” In fact, they slip further and further behind. “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer” couldn’t be truer when it comes to reading, as explained in a landmark paper by Keith Stanovich. For example, we see children who are struggling fall further behind as texts get more difficult and their self-efficacy tumbles. Too many of these children become experts in reading avoidance, rather than in reading itself—and, ultimately, in learning avoidance, choosing to drop out of school altogether down the line.

With two-thirds of students reading below proficient, they are the majority... not the challenged few. What will make a difference?

We need a comprehensive plan for intervention. The plan should include differentiated instruction in core reading/ELA classrooms coupled with best intervention practices for students who need support, AND intensive intervention for students who are two or more years below grade level.

This means offering students the life-changing opportunity of entering an effective, research-based program for a focused period of time in addition to their core program. The truth is that differentiated core instruction combined with intensive intervention is the only proven path to ensuring that ALL students reach their potential. It is also the right moral choice for us to make as educators.

At HMH, we wish to be no less than powerful change agents in the lives of students, their teachers, and their families. We believe in the unbounded potential of every child and we understand there is no quick fix for raising achievement. Scaling measurable improvements requires time, dedication, and a commitment to do whatever it takes to ensure every child is prepared for his or her future. At HMH®, we know what it takes and we stand ready to be a partner to educators everywhere.

We share this belief—reading is a universal right for ALL.


Margery Mayer is Executive Vice President, Intervention Solutions, and leads HMH’s efforts to offer an unparalleled set of proven-effective intensive intervention programs. HMH’s holistic solutions, which include the company’s leading core programs and unique professional learning offerings, which build educators’ comfort with student-centered learning, data-driven teaching strategies, and adaptive digital technology, enable children and their teachers with a powerful set of learning tools and a proven path to success.

As part of the Company’s commitment to literacy, HMH will donate a book to a child in need for every tweet of #Right2Read.*

*Eligible tweets must use #Right2Read. HMH will donate up to 10,000 books to schools and/or nonprofit organizations; both the books and recipients will be selected at HMH’s sole discretion.

Student Engagement Tip from a Charter Educator

Submitted by Mark V—Advanced Math & Science Academy, Marlborough, MA

Mark writes:
I teach Grade 6 English at the Advanced Math & Science Academy (AMSA). It is my goal to bring all my units to life, so that my students live the curriculum.

My favorite unit to teach is the play Scrooge and Marley by Israel Horovitz (Prentice Hall). In this dramatic piece, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three apparitions who try to change his selfish ways in life. After acting out the play with props and all, in mid-December, my students attend a live show of A Christmas Carol at the Hanover Theater in Worcester. After school that day, my students sing Christmas carols to the residents of Marlborough Hills (nursing home). Further, the sixth graders collect can goods for the local food pantry. In 2015, the sixth graders at AMSA collected over 2,000 cans!

My students learned from Ebenezer Scrooge that it is better to give than to receive, and they demonstrated this by bringing joy to those in most need during the holiday season.

Grants and Funding Quiz

Professional Learning Corner

From The Teacher Tip, a free app from Heinemann

Use an Instructional Menu of Options to Sharpen Your Student Lens
Adapted from Good to Great Teaching by Mary Howard

The critical feature of differentiation, knowing how and when to use instructional groupings, helps teachers meet the needs of all students. A menu of instructional options, chosen with care, allows you to accommodate a wide range of learners.

Try these varied options in the menu:

  • Whole Class Focus Lessons—To embrace all learners using common goals and to set the stage for targeted support
  • Homogeneous Small-Group Instruction—To form using reading level and reading behaviors
  • Heterogeneous Small-Group Extension—To focus on self-selected independent texts and accommodate wide reading ranges
  • One-to-One Targeted Support—To adjust learning goals and meet each student once a week
  • Partner Work & Peer Collaboration—To release responsibility to students
  • Independent Application—To achieve a high degree of success and meet the ultimate goal of teaching
Howard, Mary. 2012. Good to Great Teaching: Focusing on the Literacy Work That Matters.

School Grants & Funding—Investing in the Future

Applying for a school grant or funding opportunity doesn’t have to be exhausting, especially when Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Grants and Funding team is here to help! Let us work with you to find and secure the school funding necessary to improve your community and better prepare your school’s students for the future.

Learn more at hmhco.com

Financial Resources to Help Your School Excel

Featured Grant: Frances R. Dewing Foundation

The foundation gives grants only to programs that deal directly with early childhood education. Within that context, support is given for the fine and performing arts and other cultural programs, social services, conservation and environmental protection, pre-school, elementary, and other education. Programs must serve children under 12. Giving limited to the U.S., with emphasis on the New England states in the Northeast.

Average Amount: $5,000—$20,000
Deadline to Apply: April 1 and October 1

Apply Here

Find more grants with the free HMH Grant Database.

Upcoming Events

Visit HMH at these upcoming events:
3/16–17: California Charter Schools Conference─Long Beach, CA
3/18: Cisco/HMH Tech Event—Birmingham, AL Tech Event
3/30: Cisco/HMH Tech Event—Jacksonville, FL


How can we improve? Share your thoughts about this newsletter. Like our newsletter and want to keep receiving it? Update your information.

Learn more about our commitment to Charter Schools at hmhco.com/charterschools.

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