In addition to "preparing children for schools," schools should be prepared for children," says Lonnie Reed, principal of Franklin Lower Elementary School in Meadville. Mr. Reed, who is also the Educational Chairman of the Board of the Mississippi Early Childhood Association and the Zone 7 Director of the Mississippi Elementary School Administrators, is committed to elementary education reform. Learning centers, multi-age education and narrative report cards are a few of the areas of educational change he is exploring. Under his leadership, his school introduced a portfolio assessment program that includes a video record of students' progress in reading. Over the course of three years, each student is videotaped at 12 regular intervals, an approach that records the progress of the student. As these tapes are shared at parent/ teacher conferences, moreover, they serve to involve parents more directly in their child's development.
1965 University of Southern Mississippi, M.A.
