Five sites in search of the word: Part 2

The second in a series of three descriptive examinations of reading programs in the U.S. [See preceding abstract for Part 1.). Observation of the Agnes Russell School at Columbia University provides five central themes that describe this school: (1) A teacher is not only a teacher, but a master at coordinating and developing curricular patterns; (2) Schedules of time and place are variable according to the needs of staff members, students, and specific activities; (3) Groups are determined by a variety of criteria according to a variety of purposes and immediate situations; (4) There is constant evaluation; and (5) A multiplicity of materials and devices makes maximum choice inevitable. The Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction in Salt Lake City now operates in five major roles: community service, reading clinic, teacher training facility, research laboratory, and library service. There is a strong belief in thorough diagnosis followed by immediate prescribed action, and that belief is reflected in classroom techniques, in individual work at the clinic, in the inservice training of teachers, and in approaches to problems generally. A high degree of success has been reported at both institutions. M. Marsh