Local Districts Join Statewide Reading Program

The state Department of Education welcomed a number of new districts to the Read to be Ready program, including several in the Upper Cumberland.

Smith, Pickett, Jackson, and Clay county schools all joined the program at the beginning of the school year.

Pickett County Director of Schools Diane Elder said joining the program was an easy decision.

“Reading is the most important thing a child can do, a child needs to read every single day, it effects everything in life the ability to read,” Elder said.

The program is basically a coaching network for teachers. Participating districts work together to find new and better ways of teaching students to read.

“Our Read to be Ready program will work with mainly grades 1 and 2 and we hope to give them a very strong program along with our teachers we have we have that person that will be helping them meet the goals that they need for their students to be successful,” Elder said.

Elder said Pickett County’s teacher coach went to training this week and the program is up and running.