Thanks to an anonymous donor who contributed $40,000 for this purpose, the Public Education Foundation announced grant awards for 44 Hamilton County public schools to develop or continue educator book clubs. These funds will purchase books that groups of educators (and in some cases, parents) will read and discuss in an effort to hone skills for school leadership and improvement.
Many applicants have chosen books that will dovetail with professional development already in progress in their schools. Plans are as varied as the schools that submitted them. For example:
- Sandra Barnwell, principal of Hixson Middle School, is having the entire faculty read Classroom Instruction that Works: Research Based Strategies. She is supplementing book club meetings with an on-going blog around the book and classroom experiences.
- Jennifer Purvis, an eighth grade science teacher at Loftis Middle, is using two inspirational books for her book club: Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith and Schools of Fish!: Welcome Back to the Reason you Became an Educator by Philip Strand. Loftis educators are going to meet after-hours in a coffee shop for a more relaxed, open atmosphere.
- The Tyner Networked Learning Community, facilitated by Tyner principal Carol Goss, is focusing attention on math instruction for all the schools in the network. These include Tyner Academy, Tyner Middle Academy, Bess T. Shepherd Elementary and Lakeside Academy.
The network leadership team and math coaches in each building will facilitate the book clubs in reading Math Doesn’t Suck by Danica McKellar and Kiss My Math by the same author.
Response to the grants has been very positive. Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy Principal Becky Coleman said, “Thank you so much for supporting the professional growth of our teachers. They will be very excited about this opportunity!”
“Forming book clubs on their own time is just one more indication of how committed Hamilton County teachers are to doing the best job possible in the classroom,” said PEF President Dan Challener. “The Public Education Foundation is proud to support these educators and grateful to our generous donor for providing this opportunity.”
2009 Book Club schools include:
Allen Elementary
Apison Elementary
Barger Academy of Fine Arts
Bess T. Shepherd Elementary
Birchwood Elementary
Brainerd High
Brown International Academy
Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy
Center for Creative Arts
Central High
Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts - Elementary
Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts - Middle
Hills Elementary
Dalewood Middle
Dawn School
Ridge High
East Side Elementary
Hamilton County High
Hardy Elementary
Hixson Elementary
Hixson High
Hixson Middle
Howard School of Academics and Technology
Lakeside Academy
Loftis Middle
Lookout Mountain Elementary
Lookout Valley Elementary
Lookout Valley Middle/High
Lookout Valley/East Ridge Networked Learning Community
Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School
North Hamilton County Elementary
Ooltewah Middle
Red Bank Elementary
Red Bank Middle
Rivermont Elementary
Signal Mountain Middle/High
Snow Hill Elementary
Soddy Daisy Middle
Soddy Elementary
Thrasher Elementary
Tyner Academy
Tyner Networked Learning Community
Woodmore Elementary