Every Indiana school corporation needs someone to provide leadership for its reading program.  In a period of reduced funding but higher expectations, some way must be found to ensure that reading teachers have the support and direction necessary to achieve their school corporation’s reading goals.

      Middle grades reading programs are different from elementary reading programs.  Most elementary teachers are responsible for report card grades in reading.  Most middle grades teachers are not.  In a middle grades school each reading teacher is responsible for several sections of students as compared to primary teachers who are generally responsible for one group of students.

      Thus a few middle grades reading teachers are responsible for reading instruction.  But expectations are high.  The following are some of the tasks for which middle grades reading teachers are responsible:

l   Providing appropriate reading instruction at each student’s reading level.

l   Selecting and ordering materials that are appropriate for a wide range of reading levels.

l   Administering individual and group reading tests.

l   Promoting independent reading of books, newspapers, and magazines.

l   Connecting students with the school and public libraries.

l   Encouraging reading of the Young Hoosier Book Award books.

l   Promoting newspapers during Newspaper in Education Week and providing systematic instruction in the use of newspapers.

l   Helping parents understand and support the reading needs of their children.

l   Developing schoolwide reading incentive programs.

l   Creating various activities that lead to summer reading.

       Each teacher could do all this on his or her own, but it makes more sense for all middle grades reading teachers within a school corporation to work together to build strong reading programs for their schools.

      One way to provide middle grades reading leadership is for school corporations to select a middle grades reading teacher, provide that teacher with a stipend for additional duties, and have that teacher be responsible for coordinating activities such as meetings of middle grades reading teachers where teachers work together to achieve the above tasks.  The teacher-leader would be responsible for areas such as selection of student reading materials, reviewing test results and instructional considerations, professional development, and support for new reading teachers.