Parents & Teachers Educate Themselves on Common Core

Mississippi ranks among the lowest in grades K through 12 when it comes to student achievement. Roles reversed Tuesday morning as teachers were vigorously taking notes.

Generation Ready, a provider of teacher learning services, worked with Head Start teachers to equip them with better classroom tactics. Lisa Walker, Director of Education Services, says, “They’re here to help our teachers learn how to extend our classroom phonological awareness with our children’s literacy.”

Mississippi’s eight Head Start centers along the Coast received composite instructional scores totaling 2.7, which is only .2 higher than the lowest score. Teachers and administrators alike agree they need this training. Laveda Hawkins, a Head Start teacher, says, “It’s preparing me to prepare the students for what they are about to encounter as they go onto higher learning education. My goal this year is to create intrinsic learners. Those are learners that are going to be able to work independently, maybe do some peer partnering, but it’s going to start with me because I’m equipping them with the knowledge to be able to take a letter and then build a word and then build a sentence.”

Teachers and administrators say that the earlier we start teaching our children properly, the better off they will be as they move into higher grades. Hawkins also says, “What we’re doing is laying a foundation, and a strong foundation is definitely what they’re going to need to go on to higher levels of learning.”

Tuesday was the large group training. Once Head Start programs begin later in the fall, Generation Ready education consultants will make regular center visits for onsite support and one-on-one consultation with an emphasis on literacy.