Manitowoc teachers who recently visited a school in Ohio talk about their experiences during a presentation on December 13, 2022. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Principals and teachers from the Manitowoc Public School District recently returned from a trip to Ohio to check out a literacy program that district administrators hope can reverse what they call a crisis in the district.
Teachers and parents in Manitowoc have been voicing concerns about the Success for All program over the past few weeks.
In the latest state report card, Manitowoc’s school district had 29% of its students reading at grade level. That is below the statewide average of 37%.
Jim Feil, Manitowoc’s superintendent, says a Steubenville, Ohio school that educators visited has a reading proficiency level near 100%.
Some Manitowoc teachers said they were skeptical of the Success for All Program but came away impressed after spending a day at the school that uses it.
“I’m a 24-year veteran teacher and the active engagement in this school was like none other that I’ve had ever seen,” said Sandy Tulachka, a teacher at Manitowoc’s Washington Middle School.
Success for All is literacy focused and teaches reading instruction in 90-minute blocks with students grouped by ability.
The educators who went to Ohio said they saw little teacher instruction, but a lot of students working together.
“The kids knew exactly what the expectation was,” said Amanda Sieracki, a teacher at Manitowoc’s Washington Middle School. “They came into the classrooms, they went to their groups, they got their materials, and they knew exactly what needed to be done and how to do it.”
The teachers say behavior issues were also mostly nonexistent.
Despite the glowing feedback, concerns remain among teachers and parents who attended a public presentation on Tuesday.
“I feel like they had a very short time at the school that has been doing a program for 20 years,” said Stacey Eck, a parent of two children in the district. “So, they’re seeing this perfectly well-oiled machine.”
Eck shares concerns many teachers and parents shared over the last few weeks, including that another district-vetted curriculum, with more teacher-buy in, has been pushed to the side.
“It feels rushed in that we keep being told this is crisis mode, but I think if we’re looking at spending that amount of money in the district that we should really take our time vetting the program and making sure it meets all the state standards,” said Eck.
District administrators say Success for All carries about a $1.4 million price tag for three years.
Feil says Success for All isn’t taught in Wisconsin except for a few charter schools in the Milwaukee area.
Other concerns talked about at the presentation included writing being a weakness in Success For All, teachers having to deliver material from scripts, and limited time for special courses with additional time given to reading instruction.
District officials hope to have a new curriculum picked in January.
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