By Dr. Mary Howard 

If you’ve been on social media, watched the political frenzy unfold, or tuned into the media-fueled misinformation of Emily Hanford’s six-part podcast “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong,” then you know that guided reading was caught in the crossfire on a contentious battleground. On one side of the conflict are those who view guided reading as a malicious evil invented by delusional educators seeking financial gain. On the other side, we find those who see guided reading as a professional force of good for our children. The 1st group simply dubs it as “BAD,” while the 2nd acknowledges the merits of guided reading but not as a panacea.

The Guided Reading Debate: Problematic Pitfall or Promising Practice?

Given this never-ending tug of war, we find ourselves in a clash of perception:

Problematic pitfall? Promising practice? Somewhere in the middle?

The answer depends on who you ask and what we can glean from their response:

• Is it a definitive “NO,” or are there shades of benefits with some cautions?

• Is it based on self-claimed expertise or actual experience and knowledge?

• Does it add to or diminish the hope of meaningful, productive discourse?

• Is it motivated by a personal agenda or commitment to the needs of children?

• Are useless fillers like “proven and settled used or specific points shared?

To be clear, believing something because a reporter, teacher down the hall, politician, organized group, or next-door neighbor tells us its true does not an informed view make. If we are to move guided reading from Hanford’s calculated chopping block, we must be willing to put guided reading under a professional microscope. Perceptions rising from the level of experience and knowledge, or lack thereof, dramatically alter the message from informed to opinionated, the latter being all too prevalent these days.

But even experience and knowledge won’t guarantee “impact potential.” No matter how promising a practice may be, potential is only realized if it is honored where it matters most: putting it into action in the company of children. Impact potential demands a clear understanding of the WHY of guided reading that becomes a GPS for HOW and WHAT. This also requires us to know our children so that we may craft a guided reading lesson based on that knowledge and observations not only in guided reading but whether that learning transfers to other contexts. Unless we bring all of that to the guided reading experience, it is but another failed time-wasting experiment best alleviated altogether.

In the wise words of Regie Routman:

“Only when we develop common beliefs that align with research-based, principled practices can we effectively apply guided reading – or any instructional construct – to benefit all learners.”

Guided reading is one of many principled practices that are mutually supportive. In this age of political mandates that summarily dub some things as “GOOD” and others as “BAD,” guided reading misinformation has launched a knee-jerk reaction as leveled readers and manuals are literally tossed into the trashcan both literally and figuratively and teachers are FORBIDDEN to use guided reading altogether. When did personal desire and political agenda devoid of knowledge to back it up grant anyone the right to say what is and is not worthy? Yet, it seems quite fashionable these days.

Let’s start with a definition of guided reading from Fountas and Pinnell. It’s worth stating that Fountas and Pinnell were also shamefully targeted in part 5 of the story Hanford sold us (and thus guided reading by default) without evidence to support this mean-spirited slam. But then as we have often seen in the Science of Reading debates, blind faith in unsubstantiated calculated claims run rampant. As a long-time educator, I don’t waste time on opinion, so I proudly share this quote from two brilliant minds:

“Guided reading is a small-group instructional context in which a teacher supports each reader’s development of systems of strategic actions for processing new texts at increasingly challenging levels of difficulty.” Fountas and Pinnell

These words define my belief system across fifty-one years in education. I was trained in Reading Recovery, yet another victim of lies in a story we were sold. I have engaged in guided reading for decades as an interventionist and a literacy consultant supporting schools. The impact potential of guided reading is null and void unless we approach it in ways intended, but that does not negate its impact potential. I have seen mindless implementation of guided reading as children lose ground not due to guided reading but to ignoring critical tenets of the process in place of an implementation free for all.

My goal in this post is to offer those critical tenets that will shift the view of guided reading from problematic pitfall to promising practice. Unless we can address these “Tipping Points” I detail below, I advise abandoning guided reading and expending precious limited minutes in far more productive ways. Wasted time is never a good idea!

TWELVE TIPPING POINTS TO GUIDED READING AS A PROMISING PRACTICE:

TIPPING POINT #1: Invest in teachers from the start with ongoing support in mind.

I start here since all that follows will otherwise fall short. Before implementation, buy high-quality leveled texts in varied subject areas and topics of interest and create an easily accessible book room with text sets up to six. Build a strong bridge of ongoing professional learning with expert coaching support. Give teachers release time so they can observe and critically analyze and discuss lessons and then apply this learning in small groups with support. Without time and financial backing, failure is inevitable.

TIPPING POINT #2: Keep your sights on the end goal and use this as your guide.

The central goal of guided reading is to provide a teacher-supported context where students are actively doing the bulk of the work and the volume of reading is high. The end goal is to promote independent joyful experiences that draw from what students are learning in other contexts. In other words, we don’t do guided reading for the sake of doing guided reading but rather to offer a support platform that increases independence and, thus, ultimately alleviates the need for guided reading in the future. Guided reading was never meant to be a permanent instructional fixture but a temporary stepping stone.

TIPPING POINT #3: Acknowledge guided reading as one part of a bigger framework.

There are many rich components in the learning day. Yet, guided reading often gets far too much expenditure of time. This excess view forces us to alleviate relevant practices that fall within this comprehensive system. If guided reading robs time for read-aloud, shared reading, independent reading, or other essential features within that framework, we are preferencing guided reading at the expense of a much bigger picture.

TIPPING POINT #4: Celebrate the depth and breadth of what it means to be literate.

Acknowledge the reciprocal nature of reading and writing and embed it into your guided reading process. Remember that guided reading is about engaging children actively in reading, analysis and reflection on texts both through dialogue and written responses. We demean that process if children take turns reading or the teacher reads to them. And if the teacher is talking more than children, we ignore the powerful invitational nature of guided reading that contributes to growing independence and love of learning.

TIPPING POINT #5: Avoid ill-conceived structures that are not supported by research.

A flawed approach known as the walk-to-guided reading model is common but has no research basis. Professionals who spend the most time with children have the most to offer them while those who know them least raise the risk of negative impacts such as rigid ability grouping, stagnant groups and lessons that are more an act of obligatory compliance than a student-centered practice. Each of these issues translates into a one-size-fits-all view that is grossly ineffective.

TIPPING POINT #6: Widen the range of what counts in a guided reading experience.

In Teaching Readers (Not Reading), Peter Afflerbach asks us to ‘move beyond skills and strategies to reader-focused instruction’ such as engagement, self-efficacy, and motivation. Preferencing skills like cause and effect while ignoring how to use a text to support meaningful discourse with peers or how to self-question using the text as a rich springboard are relevant goals. In guided reading, we teach children what it means to be literate in the real world while making them active participants in that process.

TIPPING POINT #7: Avoid scripted low-level activity-based guided reading programs.

As the name implies, guided reading is about guided reading with a focus on readers, not trivial seatwork. Each minute filling in a blank sheet usurps time that could be used for reading, rereading, revisiting, and the collaborative talk and writing it inspires. Beware of the publisher code “with fidelity” designed to devalue professional decision-making. The impact potential of guided reading requires in-the-moment decision-making based on our knowledge of literacy research and children. Flexible references shift us from program-centered to student-centered. Responsive teaching lives within teachers.

TIPPING POINT #8: Put reading levels and the limited role they play into perspective.

Reading levels are commonly misinterpreted from theory to practice. Fountas and Pinnell remind us to level books, not children, and only in the context of guided reading:

“Text levels play an important but quite limited role in students’ literate lives in school.”

Yet, it is common for classroom libraries to be organized by levels in a gross departure from this intent. Worse, putting a child’s reading level on display inadvertently labels them publicly which is an unethical invasion of privacy that robs children of choice.

TIPPING POINT #9 Coordinate your efforts for children who need intense support.

The small group nature of guided reading makes it ideal for children who need more. This requires an “in addition to” stance in a spirit of all-hands-on-deck. Sending children off to a fix it room while ignoring what happens the rest of the day leaves little room for escape and does more harm than good by sending mixed message. Guided reading meets children where they are – not based on a grade. We increase intensity for accelerated progress by forming groups of three with added support across settings.

TIPPING POINT #10: Emphasize guided reading assessment in the context of learning.

Standardized tests are an educational staple, but they tell us little about guided reading. Using a DIBELS repeated reading fluency test is like comparing apples and oranges. Assessment should fit the goal of strategic reading and engagement, such as running records with analysis and direct evidence drawn from the guided reading experience. This experience in action offers varied sources of information based on engagement within that process. Formative assessment and observation are valuable informants.

TIPPING POINT #11: Acknowledge the wide range of small group options with purpose.

Guided reading is a small group teacher-supported, student-engaged instructional context that occurs through active participation in ways that raise intensity. Yet, it is often the only small group option in place while ignoring variations like student-led small groups. In What Are You Grouping For?, Julie Wright and Barry Hoonan write,

“Students’ curiosity and interest are more trustworthy and energizing drivers of grouping decisions than anything else. When we harness the power of the social and personal, it becomes far easier for us to teach into their academic needs as readers.”

TIPPING POINT #12: Engage in a range of literacy behaviors that work in concert.

It’s called Guided Reading, not Guided PHONICS or Guided WORKSHEET. While there are opportunities to model, teach and support discrete pieces of reading like phonics, our focus is on applying it in the context of reading rather than skill and drill phonics in isolation. We consistently return to our first tipping point by keeping in mind that guided reading focuses on what children can do with support and thus allows them to apply this in other contexts independently. This transfer illustrates that learning occurred. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

We live in a technological era where anyone with a computer, social media account, YouTube channel, media platform, blog, or podcast can sell whatever misinformed story they invent without reins. This makes it our responsibility to consistently evaluate all sources of information thoughtfully and honestly. Since Emily Hanford emerged on the educational landscape in 2018 with Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read? Guided reading has been in the line of fire. These days, blind faith, mandates, and opinion spread rapidly, particularly when it’s disguised as the “truth” and carefully crafted to pull at our gullible little heartstrings.

On the other hand, good intentions and desire are not enough even when schools honor the translation and informed implementation of guided reading. The value of anything resides in our ability to apply what we know in practice and always in the name of kids. This is a more effective use of time than cowardly social media mudslinging and name-calling that has become a favorite pastime at the expense of those who have spent years committed to research-informed literacy beliefs. It’s exhausting and ignorant.

It is our professional imperative to stand up for practices that have value but also to consistently re-evaluate the quality and worthiness of what we bring into our schools. We must be able to demonstrate that they are designed to honor precious time with our children and reconsider, adjust or alleviate those practices if they don’t. After playing an active professional role in guided reading for decades, there is no question in my mind that it is, in fact, a promising practice. But to bring that promise to life, we must be willing to refute misinformation and ensure the highest quality implementation using my Twelve Tipping Points as a collective high priority.

REFERENCES CITED

Rethinking Guided Reading to Advantage ALL Our Learners by Regie Routman (2018, Middleweb)

Level Books, Not Children: The Role of Text Levels in Literacy Instruction by Fountas and Pinnell (Originally published in Literacy Today Magazine by the International Literacy Association Jan/Feb 2019)

“Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong” by Emily Hanford (2022 APM Reports)

Teaching Readers (Not Reading): Moving beyond Skills and Strategies to Reader-Focused Instruction by Peter Afflerbach (2022, The Guildford Press)

What are You Grouping For? How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers – Not the Book (grades 3-8) by Julie Wright and Barry Hoonan (2018 Corwin)

 

 

 

 

By Dennis Schug

Do you ever stop to think about the chapters of your “reading life”?

We’ve all got them.  What are the highlights of your chapters?

It’s been a while since I’ve thought about my reading life, let alone written a new chapter.  That is, until now.  

This season is providing time and space to reflect.  It’s giving me confidence to take action.

My Reading Life: Chapter 1

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller

Some of my earliest childhood memories include being surrounded by words: rich and colorful storytelling, adults who value words, written and spoken, and of course, books.  I read nightly bedtime stories and taught early and often to borrow books from the public library.  At 10 years of age, I’d ride my bicycle to meet the local public library’s summer bookmobile, which uncoincidentally was eventually filled with books from my favorite authors and genres.  Working at the public library as a high school student, I read nearly as many books as I was responsible for reshelving.  As a teacher, I began to remember our classroom library, which I made sure was stocked with more books than there was bookshelf space to hold them.  As a teacher leader, I simultaneously pursued certifications in literacy and school leadership.  Decades later, as a parent, I was afforded opportunities to “spoil” my own children with the gifts of words, like I once was.  I remained a voracious lifelong reader, especially of certain topics and genres.  I knew books made me better for others.

I recognize how fortunate I am to have grown up like this and to have circumstances that have helped me sustain an active reading life.  This has driven me to be a “reading principal,” discussing books with anyone willing to engage.  It’s my responsibility to model being a lifelong reader, create space for others to share, and for students to explore their own reading lives.

My Reading Life: Chapter 2

“The comeback is always stronger than the setback.”  – Unknown.

This became a mantra as our school communities courageously faced, navigated, and conquered myriad challenges of global pandemic times.  Priorities shifted from “getting lost in a good book” to ensuring students had resources to meet basic human needs.  What educators “had to do” replaced what we “got to do.”  Like so many, I found myself leading a team focused on others’ health, safety, and wellness.  It wasn’t only a top priority; it was the only priority.  I was and am fortunate.

The reading life I once knew changed suddenly and drastically.  I felt constantly distracted.  I had difficulty sustaining attention on any reading materials besides critical information to aid our team’s focus on doing what’s best for students.  

In quieter moments, I’d try losing myself in a book but found I just couldn’t.  I was not alone.  The more I spoke with others, the more this seemed to be a common challenge.  We were in survival mode.  After a while, we wondered if or when we’d return to more typical times.

Sometimes, we sensed a slow crawl, walk, and occasional run toward the comeback.  

We wondered, when was it that we’d return to doing what we “get to do”?  

My Reading Life: Chapter 3

“Mood follows action.” – Rich Roll

At the end of another school year (our first with sustained typical routines), I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Laura Robb’s latest book, Increase Reading Volume: Practical Strategies That Boost Students’ Achievement and Passion for Reading.  While it was among an ambitious stack of books I’d set out to read, it quickly rose to the top of the stack, becoming the literacy masterclass I didn’t know I needed.  

In one of the first sections that resonated with me as a lifelong reader, Robb emphasized the importance of “keeping in touch with your reading life.”

She explains, “A personal reading life enables you to experience the power of visualizing as a path to understanding, the need to talk to someone about a book resonating with you, and that sometimes, reading can be challenging work.  Your enthusiasm for and engagement in reading can rub off on students as they choose books they want to and can read, ensuring they will be engaged” (Robb, 2022).

These are precisely the words I needed to reignite my purpose for reading.  

My next steps became clear.

My Reading Life: Chapter 4

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” 

– James Clear

First, I listed books I’d been meaning to read, reread, or give as gifts.  I visited the public library, collected gift cards I’d received to make purchases, and splurged a bit at bookstores.  I made an agreement with myself to read every day – a certain number of pages or a certain number of minutes, whichever came first.  I’d use two bookmarks, one marking my starting point and the other my ending point for each reading period.  I’d keep a calendar, making an X each time I read.  Most days, I met my goal.  Some days. I didn’t.  But I never felt the shame of failure, only the opportunity to try again the next day.  Instead, I said to myself I’d never miss two days in a row, marking off two days’ worth of reading, often meeting or exceeding that goal.  I positioned books wherever they’d be most accessible.  Seeing a book next to my workout clothes, the coffee pot, or my car passenger seat were all regular reminders of my commitment to daily reading.    

To date, I’ve read more words, pages, and chapters than I have in many seasons.  I’m finding each book I read is often replaced by two on my “to read” list.  There’s a good chance I’ll never finish my entire stack.  This renewed habit gives me the confidence to talk with others about exploring the next chapters of their reading lives.  Books are making me better.  Books make us better.

By Brenda Krupp & Lynne Dorfman

It’s All About the Books: How to Create Bookrooms and Classroom Libraries That Inspire Readers (2018, 21), authors Landrigan and Mulligan state, “The classroom library is the home of the class’ reading community . . . . Its primary role is building a literacy community in each classroom and ensuring that each student is a member” (21).

Classroom Libraries are Essential

A classroom library is often the hub of the classroom. According to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), “All students must be able to access, use, and evaluate information in order to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century….Reading in all its dimensions – informational, purposeful, and recreational – promotes students’ overall academic success and well-being.(Position Statements: Statement on Classroom Libraries, 2017).”   Books are often arranged in easy-to-navigate categories such as favorite authors, fiction and nonfiction, genres, themes, and topics that relate to across-the-content area reading. Shelves are arranged to showcase books students want to read and ones the teacher has researched and knows will meet the needs of the readers in the classroom. A well-stocked classroom library will give all students access to relevant, engaging texts (fiction and nonfiction) and magazines that represent their diverse identities and reading tastes.

The Top Ten Benefits of Classroom Libraries

1. Students’ motivation and engagement increases by encouraging voluntary and recreational reading in school and outside the school setting.
2. A wide range of reading materials that reflect reading abilities and interests of the class is at your students’ fingertips.
3. Choice in self-selecting reading materials for self-engagement is a key factor.
4. Enhanced opportunities for assigned and recreational reading encourage students to bookshop often.
5. Immediate access to texts will keep reading a top priority in the classroom community.
6. Classroom libraries can personalize book choice that reflects the students’ favorite authors, interests, and genres within the classroom.
7. Teachers can curate the library to introduce new authors and genres with a comprehensive assortment of books that support individual reading, book club reading, inquiry projects, and classroom discussions about current topics in our students’ world outside of school.
8. By having a voice in what materials will be in the library as well as how the library is organized and arranged, students have myriad opportunities to create a space for books within their classroom they want to use and will use.
9. As books are weeded and replaced, these books become available for students to select and keep. Book ownership often increases reader engagement and skills. Having books in the home is an important part of raising and sustaining a student’s reading identity.
10.  Reading widely and often builds students’ vocabulary and background knowledge, giving them a chance to use their reading strategies to make meaning of texts across the curriculum.

A Classroom Library Collection Reflects the Community Members

Texts can provide a sense of belonging for all students. When books reflect the cultures and experiences of the readers in your classroom, they provide a welcome experience and allow readers to connect to what they are reading on a more personal level. When the books in our libraries are inclusive and socially conscious, students develop awareness, empathy, and compassion for others by learning about cultures and customs they may not experience in their own community. Books can also create opportunities to celebrate cultures and experiences that are like and different from their own. If classroom libraries contain books that reflect the world we live in, students have the opportunity to see themselves as a part of this world, learning how to navigate and participate in a global community.  Listen to Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop talk about windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors here: Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors

Curating a classroom library that is timely and relevant takes time and effort on your part. Websites such as We Need Diverse Books, Colorin Colorado, and Jane Addams Peace Association are three places to start. Be sure to use NCTE’s journals (Language Arts and Voices from the Middle) and ILA’s The Reading Teacher, which regularly highlight new texts. An important resource will also be your school and local librarian, but always try to be the first reader of books you add to your classroom collection.

How to Highlight the Books in Your Library

Highlighting the books within your library will build an excitement for more books in your library. As the teacher you can promote books you think your students will enjoy based on what you know about the readers in your classroom and your knowledge of new titles. Getting students to promote a favorite book can ignite an excitement for a title, book series, genre, or topic that will ensure the book is read by their peers.

• Book Blurbs written by students and placed inside the front covers of books are often a welcome surprise. Students share their opinions as well as a short blurb on a 3×5 card and place the recommendation/blurb inside the front cover. Students sign their work. This allows readers to share ideas and discuss the text later. Students can also place sticky notes directly on the cover with a short recommendation (i.e. If you like eerie books that will keep you awake at night, you have to read this book!)

• Consider creating a “if you liked this book… try this next…” shelf. This allows students who enjoyed a genre or series the opportunity to try something similar yet different. It can help expand the readers’ reading repertoire and help build new reading interests. Your school librarian can help you gather books and can give you newer titles.

• Book Talks given by students introduce books and create an excitement for reading.  Research by Williams and MacDonald (2017) shows that peer recommendation is a powerful way to get kids to read. Welcome to Reading Workshop: Structures and Routines that Support All Readers offers examples and formats you can use to help students book talk in your classroom.

• Book Reviews can be modeled by the teacher and simply displayed on a bulletin board or on the class website. Students can write a review for extra credit or in place of certain assignments that are designated by you as possibilities where students can substitute a book review. Some students may choose to post a review on Amazon, GoodReads, or other public venues.

• Creating special displays once a month to spotlight an author, new books, a specific genre, or a specific topic. Here’s a chance to highlight books to grab your students’ attention. Nonfiction displays are valuable – highlight books about climate change, space travel, and immigration.

Supporting Summer Reading with Your Library             

Reading is probably the most important thing kids can do in the summer. There are many summer reading programs offered by local public libraries. There are summer reading camps and online summer reading programs, too. So, how can you help your students continue to read over their vacation in ways that other programs may not be able to do?

First of all, no one knows your students better than you do. Build summer readers by helping them choose a book from your classroom library that they cannot possibly put down. To accomplish this task, make sure your library collection has multiple copies so best friends can both choose to sign out the same book. Your library should be home to many series books. What happens when you read the first book of a series and love it?  Will you look for the sequel?  Reading books in a series helps students be successful. They get to know the characters, how they react, how the plot goes, and all that knowledge helps them read the next book, and the one after that. Before they know it, they’ve polished off two or three books. Wow!  Encourage students to form summer book clubs and partnerships – The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Harry Potter. Sometimes, a benefit to a series may be that there’s a movie or two about the book. A summer movie night after the book is read – possibly to be enjoyed by family and/or friends!

Help your students set a goal for summer reading before the end of the school year. Perhaps some students want to explore a new genre such as science fiction or poetry. Some students may set a goal pertaining to how many books they read or how many minutes per day will be devoted to reading. You can provide easy access by creating a sign-out system and letting your students choose one, two, or more books to take home over the summer.

Final Thoughts

A classroom library can be the hub of your community. It has the potential to buzz with excitement when books are carefully chosen and strategically displayed. So often, it seems like the teacher is the curator/owner of the space. Yet when we hand over the responsibility to our students, the space becomes something they own and want to use. Inviting students to suggest book titles based on their interests and expertise will help diversify your collection. Letting students create spaces around the classroom to display books and organize and label the shelves in a meaningful way for them will help your library appeal to the entire community. A library is more than just a corner of books; it can be a place to sit and quietly read for research purposes or pleasure. Ask your students to help design a space they would find comfortable and inviting.

Stop and Reflect:

• Is your library being used? Do students utilize the classroom library to get reading material for pleasure? For research?
• What steps can you take to make your classroom library a place students want to use?

By Dr. Kris Felicello

There are certain days when February 2020 seems like it was yesterday, but others where it seems to be a lifetime ago. Looking back is a surreal experience. Effective August 1st, I had been appointed to begin as Superintendent of Schools in North Rockland, a diverse district 35 miles north of Manhattan.  I was excited to be attending my first New York State Superintendent’s conference in Albany, NY.  I was experiencing feelings of excitement and nerves as my boss Ileana, the Superintendent I was replacing, introduced me to folks, shared insights, encouragement, and often laughed at what was to be her last conference as the North Rockland Superintendent.  Almost as an afterthought, she suggested we attend a pop-up session scheduled on the final day of the conference that discussed what at the time seemed like just another worst-case scenario about a potential threat, the Corona-19 virus.  Little did I know that in just two short weeks, our schools would be closed for the remainder of the year, and education, politics, health care, entertainment, and culture would never again look the same. 

When we first closed, I felt similar to the musicians who refused to stop entertaining passengers as the Titanic sank. The world seemed to be ending, but our team of administrators and clerical staff were busy assembling and copying work packets for students to complete while this Corona issue was worked out.  I am sure we all lost a few years off of our lives those days by breathing in the fumes from the Lysol we were incessantly spraying on the packets and throughout the office, or maybe it was just me spraying that stuff.  How did I get here? An Assistant Superintendent for Instruction who had, throughout his career, advocated for meaningful, thought-provoking assignments, basically the exact opposite of what we were spending our time doing. I was completely shocked when the lines to receive these packets rivaled those for Cabbage Patch dolls circa 1985. What I didn’t realize at the time was that a shift was happening. In a time of uncertainty, schools were becoming more: more important, more volatile, more controversial, more to blame, more to praise, just more, fair or not.

Long gone are the days of children going off to school, sitting in rows, and listening as intently as possible to the directions of school personnel for fear of parental repercussions. The Pandemic served as an accelerant to what had already been shifting.  Schools were and are continuing to become the hub of their communities. 

Parents are looking for answers in a desperate time in which one in three female teenagers have had suicidal thoughts and three in five young people have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (as reported by the CDC in February of 2023.) 

Schools have become the battleground for a political agenda in which extremists on the left and the right pontificate about their political views via social media platforms with vigor, passion, and bravado due to their anonymity and lack of consequences. Districts and communities are charged with staying united as those with a political agenda aim to divide.

Most importantly, though, schools have become institutions of healing as parents, students, and staff recover from the not-always-apparent trauma most of us are trying to manage. 

Schools have changed, and the debates are no longer about which teams are getting the best uniform, who my teacher is, and whether my child is learning and growing as a student and a person.  Now district leaders must be ready to debate the merits of the books in our libraries or should we have armed guards.  Questions arise about why schools have the audacity to present students with all sides of an issue, particularly ones in which parents are sure they are on the right side of history.

It is scary to think we are living in a world that is all too similar to the ones described in books I read as a middle schooler, such as Fahrenheit 451. The challenge is to provide students with the skills necessary to formulate their own opinions, participate in civil discourse, listen to others, and be open to the possibility that an opinion different from theirs may have merit. Many citizens long for a time when they didn’t know or care who their neighbors voted for. Today, we seem to be heading toward a place in which politics serves as another avenue to foster hate.

These are scary times, but I have hope. The Pandemic has left educators with tools they may not have acquired in such a short time.  We are now more efficient and creative than ever before. We have become pros on virtual platforms and have embraced our role as teachers, cheerleaders, mentors, and supporters. We have been forced to examine what is truly a priority in our courses, classes, and grade levels. We now know it is essential that we meet kids where they are at, and more and more of us understand now what Rick Wormelli has been teaching us for years, that what is Fair isn’t Always Equal. 

We have a daunting task ahead of us. We must protect what is great about our schools and our Country’s education system without the fear of change.  We must be willing to adjust and overhaul. Our schools should no longer be exemplary at developing factory workers. Instead, we need to focus on developing thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders who embrace service.  We must protect democracy, civility, and knowledge. It can be overwhelming at times, but as I spoke about while delivering a TEDX talk, “If not us who?”

Recently I have discovered my motivation, my fuel when feeling down, my why as (Simon Sinek says), is working directly with students.  Sure, it sounds cliche, but why else get into education but to work with young people? The inconvenient truth is the further you move away from the classroom, the easier it becomes to forget that “why,” to become out of touch and disconnected.

 It seems counterintuitive that those with the biggest influence on how young people spend their formative years often have little authentic interactions with those very young people they are responsible for guiding into adulthood. For me, the solution is working directly with kids.  It can be by covering classes, reading to students, or leading student groups. Without fail, when I work with kids, my day becomes brighter, and why I chose this field becomes clear. I would encourage all educators to work with students in a more authentic and direct manner. My work with students has been the best professional development since moving to a central office position and now the Superintendent’s seat. 

I had only been on the job for a few weeks when two young black women who attended our high school asked to meet with me.  These passionate and articulate student leaders were angry, frustrated, and scared.  We were in the middle of the shutdown, and despite the computer barrier between us, I could feel their energy and heightened desire to do something about their feelings of frustration around the injustices that the George Floyd murder shined a light on.  Out of that initial meeting, the student group “Voice” was born. Nilah and London, as President and Vice President of Voice, developed an application via Google Meet that was distributed to the student body.   

The introduction to the application is below:

Voice will be comprised of a diverse group of students in grades 9-12. The purpose of the group will be to provide a venue for students to be heard and to offer suggestions for making our school a better place for ALL students! Dr. Felicello, Nilah, and London Blenman will facilitate monthly meetings that will allow the group to discuss issues such as racial inequity in North Rockland, develop skills on how to make effective change and work together to implement initiatives that will make our school a more inclusive place.

Due December 23rd, 2020

Space is limited, so please submit your application ASAP

Black, Latinx and POC are highly encouraged to join!

After reviewing applications, approximately 20 students were accepted, and the work began!  We meet monthly for approximately two hours to learn from each other, grow together, and embrace the beauty and strength of diversity. Ultimately, our goal is to make our school a more accepting, welcoming place for all students, regardless of their background or how they identify.  

Voice Mission: We are a group of diverse North Rockland High Schools students who wish to amplify the thoughts and ideas of the student body.  Our group hopes to raise awareness by educating those in our school community and the community at large to embrace the diversity of thought, increase empathy and unify the citizens of North Rockland.

Life as a Superintendent is one in which you rarely have time to catch your breath, so as you can imagine, I rarely have the time to dedicate to VOICE and other student groups. However, I find I care more about the activities I plan with my students than the adult lead sessions I run. I refuse to cancel these meetings or just go through the motions no matter how much I have on my plate, and for good reason.  My wife says I seem to be my happiest after working with “my kids” and “light up” when I talk about them. That is certainly true, but what she doesn’t see is how much I learn from them, how much I respect them, and how much they can accomplish when they are empowered.  

I truly believe we are moving the needle,  raising awareness, and projecting their truth.  Young people, like adults, can do great things, have creative ideas, and look at the world more refreshingly than we do as adults. 

I am proud of the work we have done, such as our faculty literature awareness initiative (linked here) and District policy and procedure adjustments that were driven by these students as well as the speakers we have brought to our staff and students.  I am also excited about the projects we are working on, such as an HBCU-specific college fair, partnering with The Center for Safety and Change, and a High School wellness center for students, to name a few. 

While these initiatives are wonderful and something we are all proud of, the relationships I have built with these students and their families, the lessons they have taught this middle-aged white male who grew up in a non-diverse region of upstate New York, and the thought-provoking discussions, sometimes controversial that our work has to lead to, have been life and career changing for me.  Thanks to these students, I am a more knowledgeable, empathetic, more in-touch educator who is determined to improve our schools and provide our students with all the experiences and tools they deserve so they can pursue their dreams. 

There have been bigger changes to how we do school over the past three years than any time in the past 100 years. We’d do things differently now, and it’s obvious that more adjustments are needed. I suspect the answers we are looking for are right there, an untapped resource that can drive school reform, and that resource is the students we are responsible for.  

I encourage all educators who want to improve, who want to make schools better for kids, who want to bring us together instead of driving us apart, to work with kids in a different capacity. Trust them, listen to them, get to know them, and work with them as partners.  You may feel like you do not have the time, I would argue that if we are serious about schools becoming the pillars of our communities, beacons of strength and fairness, then our schools should be dedicated to helping students become the best version of themselves, If we are serious about school reform, the time to start is now!

We suggest you check out Kris’s book with Gary Armida, The Teacher and the Admin