By By Kelly Quackenbush/The Meridian Star
April 22, 2001
A highly successful program at Oakland Heights Elementary School has enhanced students' reading skills and is gaining nationwide attention.
Oakland Heights administrators recently presented the school's "Reading Styles" program to more than 6,000 educators at the nation's largest meeting of K-8 school principals, the Annual Convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) held in San Diego.
Benton and Judy Barr, instructional facilitator for Oakland Heights, presented "Reading Styles: A win-win program for students" at the NAESP conference. The presentation highlighted innovative programs at Oakland Heights, one of the six nationally recognized Model School sites using the Marie Carbo reading program.
Oakland Heights is the only model school in Mississippi and educators from schools across the country have visited to see the program in action.
The national conference offered more than 150 educational sessions, with topics including closing the achievement gap, reading improvement, staff and student motivation and crisis management and school safety. Other topics included hiring and evaluating teachers, building partnerships with parents and businesses, preventing bullying, school technology, analyzing test data, and special education issues.
A technology center gave principals a unique opportunity to try out the latest high-tech advances for schools. Participants learned about an array of innovative hardware, software and other high-tech products for schools.
Seven teachers from Oakland Heights will travel to San Antonio this summer to do a presentation on "Reading Styles Implementing change in schools."
Kelly Quackenbush is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3228 or e-mail her at kquackenbush@themeridianstar.com.