HISD Helps Break World Reading Record for Second Consecutive Year
More than 1,300 guests Read for the Record to 33,000 district students on October 8, 2009
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More than 1,300 “guest readers” visited HISD elementary schools on October 8, 2009, as part of Read for the Record Day—and for the second year in a row, the district helped Jumpstart (the event’s coordinator) break the world record for the number of children being read to from the same book on the same day.
This year, the official featured selection was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, in honor of the fortieth anniversary of its first publication in 1969. In 2009, the event reached nearly 33,000 students in prekindergarten and kindergarten classes across HISD.
“Together, we read to more than one million children,” said Jumpstart President James Cleveland, “breaking the world record once again—and the numbers are still coming in.”
The Pearson Foundation is a founding partner of Read for the Record, which was launched in 2006. And for the second consecutive year, it generously donated a special campaign edition of the featured book for 2009 to all HISD prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers so that they could participate. Last year, the event reached nearly 700,000 students.
HISD Superintendent of Schools Terry B. Grier shared his love of reading with kindergarten students at the School at St. George Place and encouraged them to turn off the television and video games and read good books instead. He also emphasized the importance of early literacy.
“I would love to see every parent in the school community read to their children for 20 minutes a day, every day, seven days a week,” said Dr. Grier. “If we did that, I promise you, we would see our readings scores go up substantially across the district. Reading is important, and there is no substitute for it. It’s an important skill set and a lifelong skill set—and, I believe, the gatekeeper for a successful future.”
The superintendent added that literacy would play a key role in HISD’s efforts to decrease the number of kids who drop out and increase the number of students graduating with a high-school diploma.
“You can talk to the sheriff of Harris County, and he’ll tell you,” said Dr. Grier, “that the one thing most of his prisoners have in common is that they are reading at three, four, or five grade levels below their peers.”
Other guest readers at St. George included Pearson Foundation Vice President of Strategic Accounts Martínez Denmon; KPRC Local 2 News Anchor and Reporter Rachel McNeill; Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Tracy Weeden; Assistant Superintendent of School Support Services Martha Salazar-Zamora; West Region Executive Principal Kim Fonteno; Manager of Early Childhood Education Mary Jane Gómez; Manager of Elementary Language Arts Lauren Nguyen; and St. George Principal Drue McClure.
HISD administrators who participated throughout the district were Interim Chief Academic Officer Thelma Garza; Chief Business Operations Officer Richard Lindsay; Chief of Staff Michele Pola; Deputy Superintendent for Human Talent Ann Best; General Counsel Elneita Hutchins-Taylor; General Manager of Business Assistance Alexis Licata; Research and Accountability Assistant Superintendent Carla Stevens; and Director of Career and Technical Education Rosena Garcia. All reported what fun they had with the children and that they hoped to be called on again next year to participate.
“This kind of activity helps me to stay connected with students,” explained Director of Career and Technical Education Rosena Garcia, “and honestly, I don’t know who enjoyed it more: me or them. We in central administration tend to live here (in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center). But the nature of our job is kids, and so when we get a chance to get out and actually connect with the students, it helps us to remember our mission.”
Special highlights from this year’s event included:
- Joe Moreno and John Codwell Elementary Schools, which had members of the Moreno and Codwell families appear as guest readers
- William B. Travis Elementary School, which had Houston City Council member Ed González (District H) read to students
- J. P. Henderson and Mary Scroggins Elementary Schools, whose guest readers were members of the Houston Fire Department (some of whom wore their fire-fighting uniforms)
- Ed White Elementary School, which hosted HISD Board of Education Second Vice President Greg Meyers as a guest reader
- Cynthia Ann Parker Elementary School whose principal, Cappy Selig, dressed up in a caterpillar costume to read with one of her classes
- A number of campuses whose guest readers were actually older HISD students, which happened at Edna Carillo and Davy Crockett Elementary Schools.
Statistics show that approximately one-third of America’s children begin their first day of school developmentally behind their peers and without the skills necessary to succeed at grade level. These children often are more likely to repeat grades and drop out of school. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record event serves as a common day of engagement that underscores the importance of early literacy and reading good children’s literature to our youngest learners.
“There were lots of extension activities teachers used to engage the children that tie in to The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” said Elementary Curriculum Specialist Susan Gubitz. “They deal with reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, so the cognitive development and instruction go on for days afterward.”
Gubitz said that the district’s goals for 2010 are to have 100 percent participation among all HISD elementary schools and an outreach effort towards parents to make Read for the Record more of a family event.