Real Boys Read
One Oak Lawn elementary school took a "novel" approach to raising boys' reading scores. The idea was that they just need the right books.
These days, boys at Harnew Elementary School sometimes find themselves in the principal's office — not because of bad behavior — but because they want to tell Mr. O'Donnell all about the latest book they've read. Harnew principal Tom O'Donnell says this hasn't always been the case. "It was about four years ago, we were looking at the boys not really equaling what the girls were doing in terms of reading," O'Donnell said. "So we talked to a variety of people, and one of the things we wanted to do was to make sure that we get books that were available for the boys to get them challenged." In 2006, O'Donnell noticed that boys' reading scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) were significantly lower on average compared to …
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Tom O'Donnell
11:28 am on Friday, October 22, 2010
I want to thank Ms. Campbell for highlighting Harnew School. When I talk to the experts most of them are the outstanding staff at Harnew Elementary. The staff excite the students through their enthusiasm and knowledge. Thanks also to the students and parents for the extra effort to become better readers. Tom O'Donnell Principal Harnew Hawks more ›