THE RIGHT TO READ SCREEN AND PANEL DISCUSSION

The Newburgh Enlarged City School District, in collaboration with the  NAACP Newburgh Highland Falls, hosted a free film viewing of The Right to Read, followed by a panel discussion. Links to view the film and the panel discussion can be found below. 

THE RIGHT TO READ FILM

Recently the district held a free movie screening of The Right to Read. The Right to Read shares the stories of an activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of lifelong success: the ability to read.

When a child can’t read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment increase. That’s why Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver believes literacy is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time and is fighting for better reading instruction. What good is winning the right to vote if we can’t even read the ballot? Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, Kareem files a petition with the Oakland Unified School District demanding change. The film explores the need for reading education, the struggles some communities face, and discusses possible solutions.

PANEL DISCUSSION

After the film, a panel discussion was conducted with teachers, a reading specialist, parent, and NFA students. Questions were asked by the audience and a thorough and informative discussion took place. As we work together as a community it is essential for all of us to focus on the reading skills of our scholars. This event was in alignment with the district’s emphasis on The Science of Reading, a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing.

Thank you to our panelists, opening speakers, our Family and Community Engagement team, and those who were able to join us at this event. We look forward to future opportunities to work together to support literacy for our children.

PANELIST AND MODERATORS

Ms. Crisan Crozzoli, 5th Grade Teacher

Ms. Melissa Lamar, 1st Grade Teacher

Ndeye Thiam, 12th Grade NFA Main Student; NFA Black History Club

Ms. Alexis Yakle, NECSD Parent & Former Reading Teacher

Ms. Hildelisa Prado, Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Marcie Heywood - Moderator, Director of Elementary Education

Dr. Chastity Martinez-Morales - Moderator, Director of Language Acquisition

Remarks were also provided by Dr. Lisa Buon, Acting Superintendent, Mr. Kyle Conway ,President, NAACP Newburgh-Highland Falls Chapter, and students Santos Garcia, Ndeye Thiam, and Alexandria Crawford.