School 28, West Ridge Elementary receive DDE mini-grants made possible by the Warner School

The Warner School has made it possible for two area elementary schools to purchase new supplies and equipment in support of children's literacy. The schools — School 28 in the Rochester City School District, and West Ridge Elementary in Greece — were each awarded mini grants totaling $32,000. The grants were made possible through a program directed by Associate Professor and Chair of the Teaching and Curriculum Program Joanne Larson and funded by the New York State Education Department's Teacher/Leader Quality Partnerships grant (formerly Dwight D. Eisenhower). The goal of the five-year, $97,500-per-year grant is to facilitate teacher develop-ment through a process of knowledge sharing and best-practices discussions.

There are 28 teachers involved in the project, and according to Larson, the group is finding ways in which they can all work together and figure out the best methods to teach children. "We are trying to honor what we know about teaching and learning how to read and write, while faced with the Bush administration's increasingly damaging policies of standardizing education." Through the program, area education professionals (including Warner doctoral students Lynn Gatto and Maryrita Maier) meet on a monthly basis and discuss topics such as curriculum development and implementation, in hopes of better understanding how children learn, and in particular, how children learn literacy.

The grant at West Ridge made it possible to buy $6,000 worth of children's library books, and $500 was given to each teacher for instructional supplies and equipment. Many of the teachers chose to buy digital cameras for use in the classroom where children will be able to incorporate pictures into their writing projects.

School 28 received $6,000 for children's library books, and $500 was given to each teacher, as well. The school also received an additional $6,000 to purchase one iMac and four laptop computers that have been installed in a mobile cart for use as an electronic writing station. Children and teachers will be able to collaborate while using the most up-to-date technology available, technology that had previously been in short supply. With the purchased books and equipment, students will learn how to read and write in the most basic way, immersed in authentic reading and writing practices. Larson believes this is the best way to teach literacy.