OUR VIEW: Good news to read

The writing is on the wall: Volunteers make a difference. And thanks in part, to several tutoring programs, more students in the Ogden School District can read that message.

Last year the school district and Read Today launched a pilot program to improve reading comprehension for students at Ogden elementary schools. The effort was a collaboration of the AmeriCorps volunteer group, KSL, the United Way of Northern Utah and a program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Monday the district held a celebration with free food, dancing, games, awards and prizes for hundreds of students and their families associated with five schools: Dee, James Madison, Grammercy, Odyssey and T.O. Smith. These were the schools that saw the most improvement in reading scores.

While administrators, teachers and parents helped achieve this mark, the backbone of the program was the volunteer tutors who were recruited through the LDS Church and area businesses to read with students.

Anne Paul, a member of the Standard-Examiner’s editorial board, was one of several who volunteered to tutor students in reading. She spent one hour a week with two fifth-grade girls at Bonneville Elementary School working on their reading comprehension skills. The teacher assigned them books on rock cycles, weather, dinosaurs and one called "The ABC’s of Utah," written by Utah’s former first lady Jackie Leavitt.

"So while they were improving their reading skills, they (and I) were also learning about geology, meteorology, paleontology and everything you could possibly want to know about Utah," Paul said. "It was educational and fun, and rewarding to see how their reading improved, in just the few short weeks we spent together." She looks forward to volunteering again this year.

Reed Richards, who is the Ogden East LDS Stake president, said about 50 volunteers from his stake served at Wasatch Elementary School.

"It was a phenomenal success," he said. "The students made significant progress, and the tutors enjoyed it."

Richards said students were able to learn in other subjects because their reading improved.

That is what a recent state report showed. According to end-of-level tests at the end of last year, Ogden schools moved up on the lists. Odyssey was listed as Utah’s third most improved elementary school in math, and fourth most-improved in language arts and science.

Gloria Skanchy, Utah director of AmeriCorps, said statewide 72 schools are participating in the Read Today program. She said 45 percent of volunteer tutors were recruited by the LDS Church. The United Way hopes other faith-based organizations can join in the effort. The results are showing it is worth it.

Now, that’s news everyone can enjoy reading about.