DORAVILLE, Ga. — Educators in Dekalb County are on the move to get students back on track when it comes to reading.
Forty-six-percent of Dekalb third graders are not reading at grade level, a number that's grown since the pandemic. Now, hundreds of the district's teachers are using their personal time for training in hopes of reversing the trend.
“I think one of the most impactful things on a child's education and who they become is their ability to read,” Sarah Arnette, first grade teacher at Hightower Elementary said. “And one of the most impactful things on their ability to read is teacher training.”
Arnette is one of nearly 800 teachers in Dekalb County School District participating in the LETRS program, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. The specialized training focuses on the science behind learning to read through phonics, vocabulary, writing, and spelling.
“We do a lot of repetition,” Rebecca Sokol, an EIP reading specialist explained. “Using games, using white boards, using visuals, using colors."
Sokol said the training helps teachers meet students where they are and then bridge the gap, which Principal Sheila Price said has become even more critical following the pandemic.
“Many students have experienced learning loss over the past three years,” Price explained, “and we need a means to address that for all children.”
The LETRS program is voluntary, Price said, with teachers receiving a stipend. Participating teachers train after hours on nights and weekends.
Price also noted that the training is an investment teachers have been asking for.
“Ninety-percent of our students are English as a second language, so it will not only benefit those students, it will benefit special needs students, general ed. students and students across the board,” she explained.
While the program takes two years to complete, Arnette said she's already feeling the impact with fellow teachers all utilizing the same resources.
“It's not just what you learned on your own,” she explained. “Everyone has access to that same information so we can all meet that same goal, which is creating strong and fluent readers for our classes.”