Students learn knowledge is power
By Erik Siemers, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

For Kaitlyn White, words like "abandoned," "accustomed" and "curiosity" were reserved for kids with the courage to raise their hands in class, to read out loud and to enjoy reading.

"I didn't like to read," said White, 10, of Bethel Park. The words were too hard, she said.

But now, the only mysteries in her favorite Nancy Drew books are the plots.

That's largely attributed to White's involvement in the Power4Kids program, a three-year research project in 27 Allegheny County school districts aimed at bringing underperforming readers up to average levels.

About 800 third- and fifth-graders in 53 schools have concluded the first phase of testing and, while the results haven't been released, teachers and administrators already are citing anecdotal evidence of success.

"One of my favorites is from a fifth-grade boy," said Roseann Javorsky, facilitator of the project for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. After the boy read something for his mother for the first time, his teacher asked how his mom reacted. "He said she didn't say anything. She just cried."

"It's just really reinforced for us that we really think we'll be successful in closing the gap kids have in reading," Javorsky said. "I think for the first time many of these students are experiencing success at school."

Started by the Haan Foundation for Children, a nonprofit group based in San Francisco, Power4Kids tests four nationally recognized reading programs. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit -- which provides special education and research services to the county's 42 suburban school districts -- agreed to facilitate the study locally.

The goal is to prove scientifically that it's possible to help struggling readers reach and maintain an average reading level and to continue improving, Javorsky said.

Students work in groups of three for one hour a school day, until they complete 100 hours. They're tested after every 25 hours of instruction and their performance is studied after that for two years to show whether they've maintained higher reading levels. So far, the students have concluded about 30 hours and have been tested once.

As part of the study, some children will receive magnetic resonance imaging tests both before and after intervention to determine their brain function. Researchers believe that certain teaching techniques can activate the part of the brain that controls reading.

But the core of the program's success comes from intensive studying in small groups, teachers said.

"It's not very often you have an opportunity to work with three students and one instructor," said Betty Dlugos, who teaches Power4Kids students at Crafton and Carnegie elementaries in the Carlynton School District. "I've seen tremendous improvement from the children involved."

And their reading triumphs frequently lead to more success elsewhere, said Lori Valentine, who teaches 12 students at Central and Wyland elementaries in the Hampton Township School District.

"These are children who have had difficulty and been reluctant readers. They're discouraged because they had so much difficulty," Valentine said. "Now, in this environment where they're allowed to crack the code of the language, they're gaining independence and it's a self-esteem boost with their confidence."

Kaitlyn White now raises her hand to read in class. She enjoys reading Nancy Drew with ease. She feels different.

"It feels like you're a little bit more grown-up than the other kids," she said. "My mother was really surprised I know how to say 'diphtheria.'"

Erik Siemers can be reached at esiemers@tribweb.com or (412) 306-4527.