Warren Schools Represented On Governor’s Educator Advisory Council

A Warren County educator will serve on the new educator advisory council for the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation.

Eastside Elementary First-Grade Teacher Melisha Simmons said the council will serve as a consulting body to help determine the best resources to meet the needs of students across Tennessee.

“As an educator and a mother I know the power of literacy,” Simmons said. “Whether it is in the written word that the student is reading themselves, or through the language that they read aloud.”

Simmons said that after students have experienced six to nine months of learning loss, the program will work to boost early literacy through five key programs. She said that those programs include partnerships with Imagination Library, book delivery programs, and resources for caregivers and parents.

Simmons said that in looking into the numbers even prior to the pandemic, they realized that less than one-third of Tennessee third graders read at a proficient level.

“So that shows us this very urgent need to go deeply into not onto the foundational schools, not only building knowledge around the letters and their sounds and how they work together,” Simmons said. “But also how that works to build knowledge through the text they were reading. So GELF is really going to be looking at providing resources for teachers, caregivers, community members, as well as providing beautiful texts for students to read at home.”

Simmons said that teachers will also receive kits at school to facilitate conversations with students about what they’re reading and how things are going, fostering a connection between home and school learning.

Simmons said that the kits and deliverable books are all free to the community. She said those interested in the service can find more information on the state’s website.