The path to literacy
Rome City Schools unveils guidebook for plan to combat literacy issues
After months of work speaking with teachers, parents, students, and state and school leaders, Rome City Schools released its plan to address literacy issues within the school system.
The plan is a comprehensive guidebook, Deputy Superintendent Barbara Patrick-lashley said.
“This plan will inform every aspect of how we address our literacy issues, from what resources we will purchase, to professional development of our staff and how we can continue to push for parent involvement,” she said.
Being literate and able to think critically is a building block skill, she said, and an important part of the overall plan for students.
Annual improvement goals will be monitored and the school system has already begun working to build action plans for bringing the vision to the classrooms.
“The Literacy Compass... is a living document and is already guiding decisions we are making,” Patricklashley said.
She identified three priorities: High Quality Instruction, Improved Equity In Literacy and Family and Community Partnerships.
“Literacy is the foundation upon which everything rests,” Rome Mayor Craig Mcdaniel said during the unveiling ceremony Wednesday. “And as a former educator, I want to thank all the teachers who made this happen. You are often unappreciated.”
Superintendent Eric Holland has repeatedly cited literacy as perhaps the largest challenge facing students in the Rome school system.
He said there are several contributing factors, including pandemic disruptions, a lack of parental involvement and a growing population of students whose parents don’t speak English.
According to the 2023 College and Career Ready Performance Index released in December, the school system has considerably more students who are not fluent in English — with 24.1% of elementary, 22.9% of middle and 12.2% of high school students designated as English learners.
There are also a considerable number of economically disadvantaged students in Rome City Schools, Holland said, which exacerbates the literacy problem.
Moving nearly two-thirds of RCS students toward literary proficiency, while also making sure more advanced students don’t fall behind, is the task. That is on top of getting parents on board with the program.
Mcdaniel and former mayor Sundai Stevenson spoke to a group about how important literacy is to entering the workforce, especially with the economic growth that Northwest Georgia is anticipating.
“It’s going to take everyone to do their part, all of us together, to help our children succeed,” Stevenson said. “And when our children succeed, all of us are successful.”