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- Denver Post Editorial Endorses SB 46 and Padres' work to End the School to Jail Track
- Media Coverage: Senate Bill 46 Press Conference at Colorado State Capitol
- North High School Accountability Report Release
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CSR (Collaborative Strategic Reading): Literacy is a Right
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LITERACY IS LIBERATION!
Literacy is a form of liberation and a cornerstone of education, democracy and justice. As a form of oppression, slaves were prohibited from learning to read and write and often risked losing their lives to do so. Generations later, the impact of such oppression is evident among African-Americans, English language learners and all other low-income communities - from academic achievement and college-preparedness to valuable job skills and voting, low-income communities and communities of color are at a grave disadvantage.
In recognition of how critical literacy is for our communities' empowerment, we are proud to partner with Denver Public Schools and the Bueno Center at the University of Colorado Boulder to increase literacy levels through the Collaborative Strategic Reading program (CSR).
ABOUT THE CSR PROGRAM:
"Children who speak another language than English and who are learning to speak English (referred to by schools as English language learners) are every bit as smart and capable as their fully proficient English-speaking peers. Yet they are not always taught in ways that help them understand the content in their classes or that support higher level thinking. Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is an instructional model that helps English language learners understand what they are reading in their language arts, social studies, science, and other classes. Students learn reading comprehension strategies. They work with other students in small groups of about four students and help each other understand what they are reading. They have many opportunities to talk about what they are learning with their classmates. They use higher level thinking skills.
CSR helps students think about what they already know about a topic and how this connects with what they will be learning. Students learn how to figure out the meanings of new vocabulary words by using clues in the text, looking at word parts, and/or thinking about words they know in their first language that are similar. Students make sure they understand the main idea (or gist) of what they are reading. They ask each other questions about the text. These questions are about important information in the text and are like what a teacher would ask on a test. Students also review important information about what they have read. CSR is an important and effective way to help students learn the reading comprehension skills they need to be successful in school."
- Janette Klingner, Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, School of Education, Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity Program Area
The role of parents in successfully implementing and evaluating CSR will be key to advancing literacy in Denver Public Schools. Padres members at Merrill, Skinner, Grant, Hill and Martin Luther King Middle Schools are recruiting and educating other parents about CSR and the importance of literacy for college readiness and life.
For more information about Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), please contact Winter Torres, Padres & Jovenes Unidos' CSR Program Coordinator, at winter@padresunidos.org or (303) 458 - 6545
