Waller Elementary School

Exemplary Reading Program Award Winner

The International Reading Association and the Florida Reading Association announce the selection of Waller Elementary School of Youngstown, Florida, as the 2001 Exemplary Reading Program Award recipient for the state of Florida.

At Waller Elementary School there is one prevailing message, "It’s cool to be a reader." The school also reaches out to parents, beginning with the child’s first birthday through the "Happy Birthday Baby" program. First graders’ homework includes plenty of reading, and all children are immersed in print. Many different strategies are used for all grades resulting in a balanced approach. Through guided reading, children are taught not only reading strategies, but also reading content.

This award-winning school will be recognized during the 46yh Annual Convention of the International Reading Association in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 29, 2001. Twenty-four schools in the United States have been selected for this award, which calls attention to outstanding reading programs in schools throughout North America.

The objectives of the International Reading Association in developing the Exemplary Reading Program are:

• To improve literacy in our society,
• To recognize school staffs who demonstrate excellence in reading and literacy programs,
• To encourage the development and refinement of exemplary reading/language arts programs,
• To report to the public noteworthy efforts to improve reading/language arts instruction, and
• To disseminate specific information about high quality programs so that other professionals can use it to improve their own instructional efforts.

Waller Elementary School has been selected for having met the stringent criteria set by the Exemplary Reading Program Award Committee of the International Reading Association.

For more information about the exemplary reading/language arts program at Waller Elementary School, contact:

Patricia Fowler, Principal

Waller Elementary School

11332 Highway 388

Youngstown, Florida 32466 Telephone: 850-722-4341

For more information about the Exemplary Reading Program Award, contact:

Shirley Morton

International Reading Association

800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139

Newark, Delaware 19714-8139 Telephone: 302-731-1600, ext. 236