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Octavio Paz Charter School
2401 W. Congress Parkway
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312.432.1170
Parents and children pack into Octavio Paz classrooms one evening per month to listen to stories and to have an opportunity to win books. Family literacy night is instrumental in the school’s focus to bring reading into the home.
“Many of these children don’t have books of their own at home,” said school leader, Dr. Benita Goldman. “We believe that to have literacy at home helps to develop a love of reading.”
The literacy curriculum has become strengthened, Goldman said, because of parent participation since family literacy night started two years ago. There are large turnouts, even on cold winter nights. Book giveaways and raffles motivate families to take part in the event.
Students are also given ten dollar Barns & Nobles gift certificates along with a 20 percent discount. This adds to the children’s home library. These incentives open the children up to an appetite for reading they didn’t have before, Goldman added.
More prizes are given through points earned by participating in the computerized accelerated reader program. Students improve their comprehension and can track their own improvement.
As reading scores improve, Goldman said students improve in other subjects. “Literacy is crucial in math as well. You can’t do a word problem if you can’t read.”
Reading scores at Octavio Paz have steadily improved over the past five years. Goldman said that although they are not where they would like to them to be, they are moving in a positive direction. “We’re trying to build a culture of literacy and it doesn’t happen overnight.”
SCHOOL STATISTICS |
Opened: 1997 |
Success Stories
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