Forest Hills School District
Cincinnati, Ohio
In 1985, in a suburb of Cincinnati, the Forest Hills School District
made a decision that would impact thousands of children in southwest
Ohio for many years. The district decided to implement a pilot
project called the Ohio Reading Recovery Project. Becky Martin was
selected to receive training at The Ohio State University to become
one of the nation’s first Reading Recovery teacher leaders. The next
year, Becky trained 10 teachers from three school districts and
began the Forest Hills Reading Recovery Training Site.
Becky says the learning curve in those early years was steep, but
exciting. She had the opportunity to meet and learn from Marie Clay.
In 1987, her teachers participated in a class with Barbara Watson,
national director of Reading Recovery in New Zealand. These teachers
helped to lay the foundation for the 24 years of Reading Recovery
implementation that have followed.
The site continues to rescue struggling readers and to increase
the literacy levels of the schools it serves. The Forest Hills site
has at varying times served over 20 schools districts, ranging from
urban to rural. The site has included as many as 75 teachers and has
served approximately 9,000 children.
Forest Hills has had five teacher leaders: Becky Martin, Bev
Hoffman, Bonnie Sickinger, Megan Curran, and Susan Vincent. Site
coordinators have included Helen Buswinka, Patricia Hubbard, Jan
Vaughn, and Connie West.
One Reading Recovery teacher, Melissa Fabe, has experienced the
history of the site firsthand. She trained in the first training
class and has taught Reading Recovery continuously for the last 24
years. It has been the dedication of teachers like Melissa that has
resulted in the success of the site.
Reading Recovery teacher
Melissa Fabe
works with her student Joshua. Melissa
trained in Reading Recovery in 1987 and
has taught lessons each year since then.
Forest Hills teacher leader Susan
Vincent
smiles broadly as Marie Clay autographs
Susan's personal copy of Change over Time.
Former teacher leader Bonnie Sickinger
meets with Reading Recovery teachers
Susan Pavlik and Dana Olsen. |
