Is what should be happening for children at this developmental age happening

for students in your district? Can you identify any resources that are missing/
needed in your district?
by:

Andrea Dagnalan



Various researches have shown that reading is a cornerstone of learning. A
review of related literature as well as result of interviews and observations indicate
that foundation of reading is built in early childhood. Studies also show that small
children differ greatly in their acquired knowledge and skills related to literacy
particularly reading. As an instructional leader in an elementary setting, I should be
asking this question and impart this analysis with my future staff in Pre-K to 2nd
grade i.e. what are the most important skills that help literacy emerge? By the 3rd
grade, students are expected to be reading fluently and accurately with
comprehension.
And the reason I focus on literacy is because what students learn and acquire
in early schooling impact their academic functioning in the upper academic years.
Teachers in our district who teach Kindergarten must be aware of what skills
children need for later reading. There are broad categories of skills needed for
learning how to read. These include phonemic awareness and oral language skills
such as expressive and receptive vocabulary, knowledge of syntax, and the ability to
understand and tell stories (Child and Adolescent, p. 205).
In Halifax County, what we observed in the classrooms indicate that students
have issues with cognitive development as it pertains to emergent literacy skills.
Again, this is not to say that students have learning difficulties. It all goes back to the
fact that students were not exposed to these skills prior to coming to our schools.
Hence, it is important that we help our students build and nurture this foundation of
literacy skills. We need to be proactive in providing related activities such as
ensuring that our students engage in 1.) conversations with adults that develop
knowledge about language and 2.) joint reading, using books as supports for talk
about letters, sounds, words, pictures and concepts (Child and Adolescent
development, p. 207)
Moreover, I have observed that most students in our district also lack the
skills in the domains of peer relationship and moral development as well as self-
concept and motivation. As a teacher and instructional leader, it is very important
that I build a positive relationship as well as effectively communicate with the
parents of my students. As it is, it takes a village to educate the whole child. The
school wont be able to do it alone without the strong support of families and other
stakeholders. At this juncture, schools and families must work collaboratively not
only to support language and emergent literacy among our students but also to help
establish their moral development, self-concept and motivation.

 Halifax county has been a recipient of various school improvement grants

that when used properly and effectively bring about a lot of resources to respective
schools. Some administrators have been very strategic in the utilization of funds as
it pertains to school improvement. Most classrooms in Halifax County have smart
board and other technology resources that could help improve the development and
growth of our students. The purchase of learning programs and computers is done
to help build and develop students competencies in the areas of reading and math.
Our visits to respective schools also provided me a different perspective
when it comes to utilizing the funds effectively for the schools. Mr. Lassiter,
principal of Pactolus Elementary School promotes the idea of investing on hiring
personnel than purchasing existing literacy programs. I have also seen this practice
in some of the schools in Halifax County. Ms. Williams of Dawson @ Scotland Neck
Primary also explained the importance of being strategic about hiring staff whom
you want to work with within your school. Shortage of staff and personnel is
prevalent in our district. We have many teaching positions in core content areas
which remain to be vacant to this day. As a result, students had to attend virtual
lessons to get instruction. Albeit, Long Term substitutes have been placed in these
classes, students would still be at a disadvantage because the former do not have the
necessary training, pedagogy and expertise that a highly qualified teacher would
have.
As a whole, Halifax County is working towards ensuring that our students
would be provided with the right amount of education and training particularly the
ones who enter Kindergarten without a solid foundation. Our district has been
implementing the formative assessment beginning at the Kindergarten level to
document students progress in two domains of learning. There is also the emphasis
on the Daily Five, which is truly a good teaching practice to reinforce student
engagement and independent learning. The Beginning Teachers program also
assists newly-hired personnel to help build their capabilities and provide support.
Each of the schools has parent coordinators who plan activities that promote
collaboration with schools and the community as a whole. The Exceptional
Childrens program has also been very active in facilitating training to teachers both
in the general education as well as the exceptional childrens department. The
implementation of monitoring the delivery of Specially-designed instruction also
assist in collecting data and analyzing student growth and performance. This best
practice promotes accountability and ownership in as far as rendering EC services is
concerned. As I have mentioned earlier, it takes a village to help bridge the gap of
ensuring that our students meet the developmentally-appropriate learning skills.