jschwimmer's blog
Sometimes the best way to understand what a new company is all about is to learn a bit about what motivated the company founders Jill Schwimmer, Ph.D. and Eileen Orsini, to take on the challenges of a start-up business.
Before there was Score 4 Reading, I was actively training teachers and helping struggling readers through my consulting business, Reading World, and teaching classes at Pacific University and the Northwest Christian University. I had long ago been involved in a workforce literacy company. Through my education and experience, I shaped an approach for helping struggling readers and named it, the Integrated Reading Method (IRM). I’ve presented it in numerous classes and teacher training sessions.
The materials that are offered by Score 4 Reading did not exist at that time, but teachers took the information they learned about the Integrated Reading Method back into their classrooms where they incorporated it into their classroom activities. Many of those teachers stayed in touch with me and reported on their challenges and their successes. A notable example is Carol Fitzpatrick, a teacher for the 549C School District in Medford, Oregon. Carol conducted a research study that was published in Networks, an On-Line Journal for Teacher Research. Her article was called, “The Power of Two: A Study of the Integrated Reading Method of Peer Tutoring”.
As time went on teachers continued to report success using the Integrated Reading Method. But Score 4 Reading’s co-founder, Eileen Orsini, a title 1 reading teacher who attended a number of my presentations, pointed out two major challenges. While it was possible to pull together the resources necessary to offer the intervention in the classroom, it was a daunting challenge for most teachers due to the time involved. Not only was there a need to find or author the reading materials, but also there was the issue of one-to-one tutoring versus small group instruction.
I realized that Eileen understood what needed to happen so that many more teachers could have success with their struggling readers; we needed a more pragmatic approach. Eileen and I joined efforts and founded Score 4 Reading, where we developed the systems and materials needed in grades 3-12, and turned the one-to-one tutoring into 5 readers managed by one adult. Score 4 Reading has been available for two years now and the results well justify the passion and work we have put into it.
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