James Patterson Literacy Challenge Overview
Selection Criteria
The James Patterson Literacy Challenge works with schools that have a history of underperformance in literacy outcomes. Interested districts nominate schools that fit this criterion and these schools are invited to apply. After a revision of applications and initial interviews, the James Patterson Literacy Challenge team and the school district agree on a number of schools that will be invited to participate.
Benefits to Partner Schools
Schools that become James Patterson Literacy Challenge partners will receive:
- support for ongoing professional learning activities, including the Summer Reading Academy for teachers
- ongoing, school-based direct support from a partnership coordinator
- assistance with development of local ‘Summer Adventures in Literacy’ programs to support sustainable, cost-effective, ongoing professional development and coaching for teachers along with local, direct intervention for struggling readers
- opportunity for staff to become reading endorsed and/or receive a dyslexia certificate
- personalized online professional development for all teachers and school leaders
Summer Reading Academy
The Summer Reading Academy is a week-long professional development for teachers in our partner schools. Facilitated by literacy experts from The University of Florida Literacy Initiative (UFLI), sessions address the fundamental aspects of literacy development: metacognition, language, fluency, and knowledge, and how each of these impact comprehension. Additional content is designed to meet the individual needs of our partner schools. Each of the training sessions are further broken down by grade level so that teachers receive grade-specific information about each topic. At the end of the Summer Reading Academy, school teams collaborate with members of the JPLC team to create a school-wide plan outlining how it will all come to life within their school’s reading culture.
