At Airport Elementary School in Berkeley, Luella Atkins helps children learn how to read by helping their teachers learn how best to teach it. As a reading coach for kindergarten through sixth grade, Ms. Atkins provides professional development districtwide for the Reading First program, based on scientific research-based strategies, performance- based assessment, and curriculum mapping. She trains fellow teachers through the state's STARR (Select Teachers As Regional Resources) program, which provides professional classroom-tested training to help teachers use authentic instruction, performance- based assessment and Missouri's new academic performance standards. Ms. Atkins was selected to lead monthly meetings with teachers on using the district's English Language Initiative, which helps minority students learn Standard English. A mentor to other teachers and a member of numerous school committees, Ms. Atkins uses early release time and grade-level meetings for planning and collegial discussions, trains teachers to integrate reading and writing strategies across the curriculum, and develops methods to recognize and reward innovations. Thanks to Luella Atkins, student literacy at Airport Elementary is really taking off.
