Fe b r u a r y 1 6 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 4 1 , N o . 7
School Board takes next step to intensify drive for literacy gains By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Revealing more local Black history
Charles Grogan, Black historian for the City of Roswell, speaks on his personal experiences growing up in a Black Roswell neighborhood Feb. 2. Grogan was joined by Sandra Taylor, who also recalled racial segregation in the city, as part of a Roswell Historical Society presentation on the city’s Black history at the Roswell Public Library. Read story, Page 14.
Red-shirted residents decry zoning request ► PAGE 4
North Fulton mayors kick about elections ► PAGE 11
OPINION
Out-of-town retreats call for watchful eye ► PAGE 24
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Fulton County School Board voted to move forward with the third edition of a program designed to sharpen instructor’s skills in teaching reading. The Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling program, which carries a price tag of approximately $1.48 million, was passed unanimously at a Feb. 7 work session and will join a block of other topics set for formal approval at the Feb. 23 School Board meeting. The curriculum designed for teachers, also called LETRS, is based on “the science of reading.” It trains teachers on “five essential pillars of reading,” phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. It also instructs on writing, spelling and oral language. The school system has already implemented versions of the program. Fulton County Schools Chief Academic Officer Cliff Jones said the third edition of the program is like the newest edition of a textbook. Fulton County Schools launched the program in 2018 at the prompting of Schools Superintendent Mike Looney. When COVID-19 hit, the need for early literacy education increased.
See LITERACY, Page 13