The
Barksdale Reading Institute is designed to improve significantly the
preliteracy and reading skills of Mississippi's children from birth through the 3rd grade.
BRI Goals
Goal
1:
To improve literacy skills in Mississippi's public schools so that
children will leave the third grade reading fluently and with comprehension at the 3rd-grade
level.
Goal 2:
To work with Mississippi's public schools to implement diagnostically-driven, differentiated reading instruction in grades K-3.
Goal 3:
To deepen teachers' knowledge of reading instruction through professional development, focused on BRI's Reading Universe.
Goal 4:
To enhance the quality of Mississippi's early childhood education programs (birth through 5), including Head Start, in-school and private programs.
Goal 5:
To increase parental involvement in the schools with which BRI is working.
Goal 6:
To strengthen the role of the principal as the instructional leader of the schools with which BRI is working.
Goal 7:
To strengthen pre-service reading instruction at the colleges and universities of Mississippi.
Last year, BRI entered into three-year MOUs with four districts across the state. The MOUs call for placement of a BRI-employed principal in a school within those districts - Quitman County Elementary (preK-4) in Quitman County, Crenshaw Elementary (K-5) in North Panola, Williams-Sullivan (preK-8) in Holmes County, and Hazlehurst Middle School (preK-8) in Hazlehurst. Per the MOU, the principals have authority over key issues such as personnel, curriculum, discipline, scheduling, grades, etc. BRI also places literacy and other support personnel into the schools and provides the schools with related literacy materials and supplies, including those necessary to implement Accelerated Reader on a robust basis.
