Case Studies Show How Schools and Districts Succeed with Junior Great Books

A teacher uses Junior Great Books to prepare his students for their state reading test

A teacher and administrator faced the conflict between meaning-centered reading instruction and the demands of state accountability tests, in this case, the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. How could they best prepare their multiethnic students to take the reading test as well as for "real reading"?

The teacher implemented Junior Great Books along with other literature activities in his fifth-grade classroom and assessed students' progress inShared Inquiry discussion and written responses to interpretive questions. He was assured of his students' progress and saw his approach pay off when more than half received Academic Recognition for proficiency on the test.

References

Gasser, J., Smith, B., & Chapman, A. (1997). A Texas dilemma: Literature-based reading instruction or teach to the TAAS. Journal of the Texas State Reading Association, 3, no. 2.

A district documents results from its intermediate-grades implementation of Junior Great Books

A small district in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, saw a need for stronger instruction for reading comprehension, vocabulary, and oral communication—key elements of a strong reading program. After a one-year pilot in selected classrooms, they adopted Junior Great Books as an integral part of the curriculum in 27 classrooms, grades 2 through 6.

The teachers all participated in Junior Great Books workshops; they then received classroom visits by a Great Books instructor who modeled or coached teachers on specific aspects of the program. The district reading/language arts facilitator developed clear explanations of objectives and assessment options to help teachers see student progress.

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, the Texas accountability test, was naturally a key assessment for the program. Students' gains indicated by the Texas Learning Index (statistical analysis of the statewide test) were substantial for students after one year in Junior Great Books. Fifth- and sixth-grade students had even stronger advances after two years in the program. The teachers saw this progress in the classroom, as students readily discussed the readings, drew abstract conclusions about them, and explained how text passages supported their ideas.

References

The Great Books Foundation. (1996). Junior Great Books helps Castleberry I. S. D. improve TAAS performance. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation.

Kelly, J. (1996). Junior Great Books: Summary of program implementation and evaluation 1995–1996. Castleberry, Texas: Castleberry Independent School District.

Continuous school reform grows when teachers receive strong support

Successful school reform is a gradual process. The principal and literacy coordinator of one California elementary school faced steep demands for increased learning by the school's economically disadvantaged, largely Hispanic student population. To enable the faculty to adopt Junior Great Books as a key element in reading instruction, they instituted a plan of teacher support focused on responding to teachers' concerns as they arose.

Teacher logs, in which they reported their successes and challenges, set the agenda for study group meetings where practical solutions to problems were developed and shared. Assessment based on students' written answers to interpretive questions communicated clear expectations to classes and helped teachers assess their students' progress.

The strategies met with success as the school's learning gains surpassed its state-assigned benchmark and put its children on track for catching up to their higher-achieving peers.

References (link forthcoming)

Criscuola, M. (2001). Case study: One California school's Junior Great Books reform. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation.

History of an Improving School

Earhart Options for Knowledge Elementary School caught the eye of the Chicago Panel on School Policy because between 1992 and 1997 its students' scores on the ITBS increased 27 percent in reading. A small school in a low-income, African American neighborhood in Chicago, Earhart proved an interesting example of school improvement.

An important goal for the principal was "unity and focus in the curriculum." In reading, that meant first adopting a literature basal, then two years later incorporating Reading Recovery and Junior Great Books. (Earhart participated in the Junior Great Books Ameritech Project: see below Reading for Meaning in Urban Schools.) The school held a reading period every morning from 9:30 to 11, and parent aides (many trained in Junior Great Books) joined teachers in reading and discussion activities. In addition, reading and writing were extended throughout the curriculum.

Staff development and cohesion were also important factors. In addition to whole-school initiatives, such as Junior Great Books, teachers were encouraged to write grants and seek out opportunities to expand their expertise and their students' opportunities. Their initative and involvement has kept learning growing at Earhart.

References

Chicago Panel on School Policy. (1997). Chronicles of reform: Amelia Earhart Options for Knowledge School. Reform Report, VII, no. 3.

Reading for Meaning in Urban Schools

In 1993, the Ameritech Foundation made a five-year funding commitment to bring reading instruction based on challenging literature, interpretive reading, and shared inquiry discussion to urban schools. Three schools in Chicago were among those that successfully participated.

What enabled these schools serving low-income urban students to succeed with a program that had traditionally been designated "gifted"? A researcher studying the project identified four factors:

Engagement with the main objectives of the program: literature-based reading and moving students "from recall to higher-order thinking"

Shared leadership in which teachers and administrators worked together as a team to implement new methods

Professional development, including summer institutes for all faculty, and in-school coaching for each teacher

A multiyear adoption plan that gave teachers time to develop trust in their coach, see growth in their own skills, and provide their students time to become accustomed to new expectations

The teachers faced major challenges in raising their expectations of their students, but by the end of the project both teachers and students responded with enthusiasm.

References

Wheelock, A. (1999). Junior Great Books: Reading for meaning in urban schools.Educational Leadership, 57, 47–50.

Inferential Thinking and Self-Esteem Through Junior Great Books

Two teacher-researchers observed how their fourth-grade students' inferential-thinking skills and self-esteem grew with Junior Great Books, and they decided to explore how and why. Studying the program with careful observations and extensive notes from discussions, the teachers traced the following stages of students' adjustment to and growth in the program:

• Getting mired in "very concrete ideas"
• Borrowing other students' ideas
• Offering their own ideas and supporting them

The teachers adopted strategies to ease their students' transition through each stage, while understanding that especially the early stage of borrowing represented a true learning strategy for students.

The teachers found greater self-esteem an important student outcome in Junior Great Books. It increased students' willingness to participate and take risks as learners and taught them more collaborative, respectful ways of interacting with each other.

References

Feiertag, J., & Chernoff, L. (1987). Inferential thinking and self-esteem through the Junior Great Books program. Childhood Education, 63, 252–254.