Reading Lab Partnership

Serving Public School Children
Hindman Settlement School believes all children have a right to public education, including those who learn differently. For 19 years the Settlement School operated the James Still Learning Center, a full-time school serving public school children with dyslexic characteristics in grades one through six. The school was operated under a unique partnership between Hindman Settlement School, public schools and the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC). It served about 30 students per year.

Although the James Still Learning Center's multi-sensory teaching approach has proven highly effective at improving the reading scores of children enrolled in the program, in recent years it has been a challenge getting students' home school districts to approve their participation in the full-time school.

Pilot Reading Program is Launched
In December 2008, Hindman Settlement School was approached by the superintendent of Knott County Public Schools about forming a partnership to teach reading to struggling students in Knott County elementary schools. The Settlement agreed to put together a group to explore the idea further.

Research shows that early identification, coupled with comprehensive early reading interventions, can reduce the percentage of children reading below the basic level in fourth grade from the current national average of 38% to less than 6%.

In the fall of 2009, Hindman Settlement School and Knott County schools launched a pilot reading program in three Knott County elementary schools (Beaver, Carr Creek and Hindman). Hindman Settlement School teachers, along with staff from the Knott County school system, have established reading labs in each school that provide specialized assistance to students in grades K-5 who demonstrate early signs of learning differences.

Teachers from the Settlement School and public school staff who are specially trained are working closely with students to ensure they master reading skills. This instruction is in addition to the students’ regular classroom instruction.

Individual needs and learning styles determine each student’s schedule and placement in a reading lab. Placement and schedule decisions in turn determine the intensity and duration of the program for each student.

Most students who are assigned to the reading lab receive a full year of instruction. Some students may need prolonged support both in their elementary schools and through after-school and summer tutoring programs offered by Hindman Settlement School.

Closing of Full-Time School
While it was a very difficult decision to discontinue the Settlement School's full-time school, this partnership provides the Settlement with an opportunity to do what it does best—teach children to read—and reach between 100-150 students. The partnership allows the Settlement to continue its historic tradition of providing education extension services to Knott County students enrolled in public schools. We expect the impact of this work will be far greater than we were able to achieve through the full-time school, in part because we will expand the number of professionals who are able to recognize and address reading difficulties at the early stages of educational development.

Knott County schools and Hindman Settlement School are providing funding for the pilot program. The goal is to expand to other elementary schools as resources become available. 

Hindman Settlement School has provided educational outreach activities to public schools and surrounding communities for more than 100 years. This new initiative is another example of the Settlement School’s strategy of adapting its services to meet the changing needs of the community and region it serves.

The Reading Lab Partnership is one of three dyslexia programs offered by the Settlement School. The Settlement also operates an After-School Program that serves students in their home counties during the regular school year and a six-week Summer Tutoring Program. The later two programs serve students in grades 1-12.

Non-Discriminatory Policy
Hindman Settlement School admits people of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.