Program Description
Every Classroom, Every Day (ECED) is a program for literacy and math in high schools provided over two years as a stand-alone class. It provides students with a structured literacy curriculum based on authentic expository texts as a supplement to regular English, doubling the amount of exposure to English language arts. Reading Matters, the first year curriculum, strengthens students’ abilities to comprehend and gather information and to identify early learning strategies. The second year curriculum, Writing Matters, strengthens students’ abilities to share and communicate information with other, and identify ways to express and personalize their knowledge. In both curricula, teachers use strategies called the Power 10, to help students comprehend, organize, and remember information in any context.
Program Outcomes
One large, two-year study evaluated outcomes of ECED. Participating schools were located in Arizona, California, New York, and Tennessee. Compared to control schools, ECED schools made somewhat greater gains on state tests (effect size =+0.06). This qualified ECED for the ESSA “Promising” category.
Staffing Requirements
Requires a designated on-site instructional coach or leader to monitor and support implementation. This position may look different depending on size of school. Both Reading Matters and Writing Matters require a reallocation of existing school staff to teach each of the courses.
Professional Development/Training
Both years include:
- Three-day institute for teachers (introductory/reflection, pace support, strategy and lesson modeling)
- Four 3-day site visits per year (workshops, model lessons, strategies, individual and group coaching, class visits)
- Monthly phone check-ins
The second year of professional development is optional, but recommended.
Technology
- Projector and computer for PowerPoint presentations
- Internet access for resources
- DVD player or computer for video clips