Our Principles at Reading Connections:
- The root problem of illiteracy is word fluency. When a student fails to learn how to read words, that student fails to learn to read.
- Any reading instruction must demonstrate and record results. At Reading Connections we measure progress in word fluency, spelling and comprehension. When a student is progressing at a rate that is slower than they are aging, that student is falling seriously behind in their reading. Our student’s average gain is 4-5 months in the areas of word fluency, spelling and comprehension for each month of instruction. Our typical student starts at Reading Connections 2-3 years behind in their reading and in less than a year of instruction, leaves Reading Connections 2-3 years above their grade level.
- Virtually all students can successfully learn how to read. When a student is failing to keep up with their reading grade level, the solution is not to do more of the instructional methods that aren’t having success. The solution must include methods that are different from the methods that aren’t having success. The solution must address the root cause of the problem and solve that problem. Our approach addresses the root cause of the problem by providing one-on-one instruction that results in the student learning how to decode words – thus making successful reading possible. This success results in the student discovering that they are not dumb, not lazy, not learning disabled, do not have poor parents that did not read to them, and all of the other false blames that they may have learned during their struggle with reading.
- Due to technology gains in the field of computers, this innovative instruction can be successfully delivered via instructional videos to students anywhere in the world. The only requirements are basic computer skills that allow you to open .pdf files and print out pages from them and the ability to play Windows Media Video Files (.wmv). All you need to do is plug in the USB drive and start printing out the instructional sheets and playing the instructional videos. Some adult supervision is needed at first, especially for the younger student. A good positive attitude towards trying some different instruction is also a big help. For now call us at 920-494-1736 to receive more details. You can also email us at email@example.com. Watch for further web page information as we make other options available.
The not-for-profit organization of Reading Connections Inc. provides an alternative method of reading instruction for students who process information in ways beyond the scope of conventional instruction. The multi-sensory, sequential phonics procedure which we use has been researched and developed by Reading Connections’ Executive Director, Mary Bowers, who used the procedure in her classroom with first and second graders for a period of ten years. During this time she realized that the children who may have otherwise been considered at-risk in reading were able to make the usual grade level gains, while those not at-risk achieved levels above their grade. Bowers left her teaching position and began Reading Connections in July of 1996 as a way to help at-risk students from a number of schools rather than only those assigned to her classroom.
To this date the Reading Connections staff has worked with over 3,000 students representing over 40 school districts. Our facility allows us the liberty to work with children year-round instead of only during the school year. We use very little of our budget for advertising purposes—our growth has predominantly occurred by word-of-mouth. A large percentage of our students have been referred by their teachers, their physicians, Family Services and/or Literacy Councils.
In addition to being able to work with students, we have also instructed teachers so that they can use the procedures in their classrooms. We have already worked with over 300 teachers representing over 45 school districts, and we look forward to reaching out to more teachers in our future workshops. We also have produced materials conducive to our method and have written both student and teacher editions. Nine staff members donated over 5,000 hours to develop over 1800 pages of materials, which are used both at Reading Connections Inc. and in classroom settings. The Reading Connections method and materials also are being utilized by the Kids’ Ranch in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The mission of Reading Connections Inc., a not-for-profit organization, is to bring literacy to individuals requiring unique research-driven instruction in reading, spelling and comprehension.