Rural Connect is an in-depth approach to improving reading for low-performing students. Participating schools have been admitted to the initiative through an application process that encourages a school team of 10, including an administrator who will monitor and optimize implementation during the school year.
During a 4-day summer literacy institute in June, teachers will improve their knowledge and skills in: building vocabulary and academic language; text complexity; fluency and stamina with complex text; text meaning across content areas and disciplines; text dependent questions and standards aligned lesson planning.
With the implementation of Florida's B.E.S.T Standards, grade level lists of supplemental texts were created to represent a full spectrum of genres, demonstrate exemplar writing, build background in all content areas, and build vocabulary and schema while preparing students to be successful in all academic areas. Teacher use of these books in daily instruction will provide students with the important opportunity to interact with these texts.
A $45,000 grant from Dollar General Literacy Foundation will provide teachers with these crucial texts for classroom use. During the literacy institute, teachers will build unit plans based on these texts. Then, throughout the 2021-22 school year, teachers will participate in regional meetings facilitated by NEFEC to continue building lessons using the provided texts as a vehicle for improving literacy outcomes for all students.
About Dollar General - J.L. Turner was functionally illiterate with only a third-grade education. His father died in an accident, and J.L. quit school so he could work on the family farm and help provide for his family. With hard work and determination, J.L. Turner went on to co-found Dollar General.
In 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in his honor. We understand that life can present many obstacles, but we also know it’s never too late to learn! Like J.L., so many others desire to better their lives and the lives of their families and it’s in this spirit that the foundation has flourished.
