By Jordan Livermore, Silver City Elementary
Contributors: Lindy Beyea, Jill Short, Silver City Elementary and Lyn House, National Institute for Direct Instruction

Each year, approximately 1,000 students attend Silver City Elementary School (SCES) in rural North Georgia. In 2007, SCES noticed that an increasing number of students were entering third, fourth, and fifth grades reading significantly below grade level. The reading problems negatively affected the students’ progress in all content areas. SCES obtained a small grant of $1,500, which was used to purchase Corrective Reading Decoding, a Direct Instruction (DI) program. Two school counselors and one special education teacher implemented the program with three small groups during the school’s Response to Intervention (“RTI”) block. The three small groups consisted of third through fifth graders, and the students were grouped using placement test data alone—not by grade level. Therefore, students from multiple grade levels participated in each group. The students achieved measureable gains in reading due to this intervention: in one year, some students progressed from non-readers to fluent readers.

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August 5, 2013
San Antonio, TX

Tom Torkelson, co-founder and CEO of IDEA Public Charter Schools, Inc., kicked off the National Institute for Direct Instruction's Annual Training Institute with energy and vigor this morning at the Marriott Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. IDEA Public Charter Schools strives towards the goal of 100% of their students graduating from college. Statistics quoted by Torkelson indicate they are well on their way to achieving this goal. From Torkelson's perspective, we are not going to solve our education crisis by solving poverty, but rather, we will reduce poverty by improving our schools. By positioning their schools in areas of high poverty, IDEA Public Charter Schools are increasing opportunities for those students to experience success. Torkelson closed with two stories that exemplified IDEA's goals.

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Participants of the National DI Conference enjoyed food and fun at the Annual Get Acquainted picnic last week. Conference visitors spent Monday evening at Skinner Butte Park under a beautiful summer sun, eating, listening to live music and visiting with friends - old and new! This was the first year that NIFDI sponsored the picnic, which has been an integral part of the conference for decades.

If you weren't able to join us last week, we hope you'll take a few minutes to check out our short video slideshow or take a look at the pictures of the event on our Facebook page at facebook.com/NIFDI.

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Zig is branching out into social media! You can find Zig on Facebook, posting his paintings, papers, and any other musings he comes up with and feels like sharing. Check it out now at www.facebook.com/ZigEngelmann.