HISTORY

With a goal of achieving 100% literacy among Alabama public school students, the Alabama State Department of Education initiated the Alabama Reading Initiative training in the summer of 1998. Training, administered by the Alabama State Department of Education, was conducted that summer for the faculties of 16 schools in the state.

In the summer of 1999 the number of schools to be trained expanded to 64 and the administration of the training was turned over to Alabama’s 11 regional in-service centers. Because The University of Alabama received a $50,000 grant from Royal Cup Coffee to conduct ARI training, however, the grant recipient, Dr. Lea McGee, administered the 1999 training at The University of Alabama, rather than the In-Service Center.

Since the summer of 2000 the Regional In-Service Centers have administered all Alabama Reading Initiative summer training programs. To date there are 511 schools in Alabama that have received ARI initial training.

SERVICE

The University of Alabama In-Service Center has assisted the Alabama Reading Initiative in administering all training of schools in its geographic region. Regional summer training programs have been held in Tuscaloosa, Livingston, Gordo, and Linden.

LITERACY DEMONSTRATION SITES IN THE UA IN-SERVICE CENTER REGION

The following links contain the list of schools in the region served by The University of Alabama Regional In-Service Center whose faculties have received ARI training and are, consequently, Literacy Demonstration Sites: ARI Schools, ARFI Schools.

FOLLOW-UP SERVICES

In order to provide additional follow-up training and support to ARI-trained teachers, a full-time reading specialist has been placed at each regional in-service center by the Alabama State Department of Education. The functions of the reading specialist are: to coach area ARI-trained teachers in implementing strategies taught during the summer training; to plan and deliver continuing professional development training for these teachers; and, to secure resources for their schools—known as Literacy Demonstration Sites (LDS).