The Hill Center Blog

Summer School Students Lend a Helping Hand

2010-07-20T00:00:00-04:00

This year's Hill Center Summer School students completed a service project to benefit Durham s Community Café, one of the many outreach services provided by Urban Ministries of Durham. The Community Café serves three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to shelter guests and anyone else in need of a hot meal.

Over the course of a week, the summer students each brought in two loaves of bread, one pound of bologna, and one package of individually-wrapped American cheese slices. On Friday, July 9, after thorough hand washing and sanitizing, the students had the opportunity to hear a brief presentation from the Community Café s Volunteer Coordinator, Fran Morin, before all 76 students came together and in 30 minutes assembled over 1,000 bologna and cheese sandwiches. Each sandwich was then carefully placed in individual Ziploc bags. This was an exciting community service opportunity for our students as it provided a hands-on activity where the students could immediately see how in a very short time, their working together could help so many people in need.

Summer School Students Lend a Helping Hand

2010-07-20T00:00:00-04:00

The Hill Center goes to Nashville

2010-05-04T00:00:00-04:00

The 2010 Council for Exceptional Children's Conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee, April 21-25, 2010 and The Hill Center was there to promote their fine work. Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, Tim McKenna, exhibited at the conference which was attended by 6500 people from around the globe. This was a great venue to share information with attendees about outreach efforts that The Hill Center offers. A special thanks to all who stopped by the booth and hope to see you next year in Washington, DC.

Hill Center Students have work displayed at Durham Library

2010-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Hill Center teacher, Sue Duncan, recently participaterd in the the Nasher Art Museum's Teacher Advisory Council. One of the many benefits from this experience was that her class was asked to work on a project that is now being displayed at the Durham Public Library. The students did research papers and presentations on Chinese animals. Congratulations to Sue and her class on this fine accomplishment.

Hill Center Students have work displayed at Durham Library

2010-05-03T00:00:00-04:00

Hill Students achieve success outside the classroom

2010-04-15T00:00:00-04:00

Congratulations to Chloe Akers who received a score of 95 out of 100 points on her dress and presentation at the NC Family Community Career Leaders fashion event. Chloe was awarded a gold medal and was runner-up for going to Nationals in her category, Fashion Design 1.

Drew Patrick and his high school teammates won the local competition of Odysesy of the Mind. They will now move on to compete in the world finals which will be held in Michigan later this summer.

Awesome job!!!

Hill Students achieve success outside the classroom

2010-04-15T00:00:00-04:00

Drew Patrick and his high school teammates won the local competition of Odysesy of the Mind. They will now move on to compete in the world finals which will be held in Michigan later this summer.

Awesome job!!!

Health Kits for Haiti

2010-02-15T00:00:00-04:00

Final tally for Haiti Relief Project

With stupendous effort by students, parents, faculty, and staff of the Hill Center, we collected hundreds of items to send to Haiti.

Collected 159 bars of soap

181 large tubes of toothpaste

173 toothbrushes

$240.30

140 gallon zip lock bags

9 already assembled Health Kits

Collected and purchased (with donated money) 132 combs

124 nail clippers and files

124 hand towels

133 washcloths

oodles of band aids

Upper School Students assembled 124 complete Health Kits on Friday, February 12, so we have sent 133 kits to the people of Haiti.

Extra items are being sent on to be used by another organization that is making Health Kits for Haiti, and some items are being given to organizations that serve the homeless in the Triangle.

Health Kits for Haiti

2010-02-15T00:00:00-04:00

Final tally for Haiti Relief Project

With stupendous effort by students, parents, faculty, and staff of the Hill Center, we collected hundreds of items to send to Haiti.

Collected 159 bars of soap

181 large tubes of toothpaste

173 toothbrushes

$240.30

140 gallon zip lock bags

9 already assembled Health Kits

Collected and purchased (with donated money) 132 combs

124 nail clippers and files

124 hand towels

133 washcloths

oodles of band aids

Upper School Students assembled 124 complete Health Kits on Friday, February 12, so we have sent 133 kits to the people of Haiti.

Extra items are being sent on to be used by another organization that is making Health Kits for Haiti, and some items are being given to organizations that serve the homeless in the Triangle.

Brunswick County Teachers Abuzz over HillRAP

2010-01-14T00:00:00-04:00

I would like to say that this program is a godsend. The kids literally RUN to my room for their HillRAP. They feel as if they are the chosen few. With the oral drill, they love the expectation of answering in complete sentences instead of being allowed to use elem. gibberish. They love the competition of timed fluency, always striving to do better. The stories are interesting and the follow-up activities using all modalities make it even more exciting. For ex. they are looking forward to making their OWN garden mural. As for me, I would love to use this program with all of my children. Children need and love the structure and the expected. They don't like the unknown. Also, the fast pace doesn't allow for boredom or down time, pitfalls of education. As for professional growth, it has helped me tremendously with organization and data keeping.Long live the HILL!!

Rea Ehling, Southport Elementary

Several students approached me to inform me that Hill Rap is helping them. One in particular is an ESL fifth grade student. About a month ago, he told me that the "rules" were helping him in class and that his teacher told him that she could see an improvement in his ability. This student really struggles in class and is making progress and feeling good about it. I have seen a difference in his fluency as well. This has in turn affected his comprehension. I really enjoy teaching Hill Rap. I am currently working on my M.E.D in Reading and many of my papers have gone right along with the methodology of Hill Rap and proven research. I think this is a great program that will make a huge difference in our students reading ability and teacher's ability to teach reading! I have learned a lot from this program!

Erika Currin

Hill Rap Interventionist

Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary

Waccamaw School

My students love coming to HillRAP because they receive individualized instruction and support in an environment that is safe and nurturing. They literally chart and SEE their progress on a daily basis as they master word lists and graph their fluency rate, all kept in a personal notebook, giving them ownership of the process. (They also want to know when "that lady" is coming back to make sure we are following the HillRAP commandments).

Dave Morris, Union Elementary

HillRAP Reading works! I have teacher's who have come to me and wanted to know how it works. They are able to tell a difference in the student's work, especially oral questioning. They are willing to answer questions with confidence in class. Classroom teachers want to come in and observe what is going on because the students are going back and telling them that they like what they are doing in my class. That in turn, makes me more confident in what I am doing and willing to let them come in to listen. I am more organized than ever. There is still a lot to learn but with help of the supportive Hill Center staff and my supervisor I am well on the way to a wonderful year.

Mary Helen Hinson, Shallotte Middle

Kristin- As a middle school HillRAP instructor, the most important result of this program to me is the increased self-esteem and self-confidence my students exhibit as a side effect of their improved reading and comprehension skills. After years of not being good readers, they are starting to believe that they can be successful! They take this program very seriously, especially my eighth graders, and seem to see it as one last chance to learn to read better. Thanks for a chance to express my appreciation for this program.

Charlene Ward , South Brunswick Middle

I have seen the confidence of students improve and thus their performance in their classrooms improve. One 4th grade teacher commented that a HillRAP students' fluency had improved a lot. Also, as a HillRAP teacher, I am now ready to be a winner on Wheel of Fortune!! I think I am more capable of figuring out those letter combinations!

Ramona Parker, Supply Elementary

The opportunity to work in a 4:1 ratio with students who have shown little response to other methods of teacher reading is amazing. The little successes that I see daily and the long-term changes in their reading ability has been very validating. These students are excited to come to reading class and think that reading is fun, they want to keep reading more and push themselves to higher levels. This program also makes me more reflective in my teaching practices as I am constantly looking at what skills students have opportunities to grow in and where they are mastered. It's a way of thinking that makes every day rewarding.

Quotes from my students:

"It's fun!" "It makes us read better" ~Xavier B.

"Making Connections helps you read because you have to read sentences and figure out answers" ~Amir F.

"It's fun!" "It's educational, I want to learn more." ~Saul A.

"Helps us sound out words." "We get smarter by learning." ~Justin M.

Lindy Hilton, Jessie Mae Monroe

I am using HillRAP as a reading intervention for some of my EC students. I was considering discontinuing due to several scheduling conflicts and I didn't know if it was benefitting the student. The very next morning his regular ed teacher came to me and said that she was amazed at the progress he has made! She stated "he actually read on grade level...I didn't think he would ever do that." I decided that the group should remain....it was great getting a fresh dose of motivation!

Ashley Mintz, Town Creek

Most of us know that young children come to school with a variety of experiences and with unique developmental levels. When those essential aspects of reading are presented in the school setting, some children are simply not neurologically or developmentally ready to acquire those basic skills necessary to become proficient readers. The beauty of HillRAP is that those essential aspects of reading are presented to students in a wonderfully organized system at a time when they are better able to assimilate and utilize the concepts.

I have been impressed with the progress of my former Exceptional Children students, who seemed to be exclusively "whole word" learners, as they have become more and more proficient with phonemic awareness and phonics skills. My two English as a Second Language students, who have often missed those beginning instructional pieces, exhibit more confidence as they experience success in a classroom situation with peers, perhaps the first time. But maybe the most noteworthy are those students who have not been behavior problems or received special services. When I input the Skill Tracking information for individual students, I am reminded of how far these students have come since the beginning assessments in August.

During the very first week of the program, one of my students said to me, "This is my very last chance to make it." When I think about it,that is what HillRAP is all about-providing students the opportunity to succeed.

Toni O’Keefe, Southport Elementary

I am seeing a growth in confidence with my students in HillRAP. They are gaining more confidence using the rules and vocabulary we have worked on in class. One student said he used the word "austere" in another class and his teacher rewarded him for using such a great word!!!!!!! Of course, using all of this knowledge in daily life is the goal!

These students are also enjoying the small class size - they get lots of individual attention. The repetitive nature of the class is good - the students know what to expect each day. And they continue to work on skills until they master them. Since the components of the class are based on assessments, the students are working on the correct level and practicing skills that they need to work on. Therefore, they are having more success and making more progress.

Ruth Thompson, Leland Middle School

I feel HillRAP is a wonderful, structured program. My students are enjoying it. I even received a Christmas card from a student , (an 8th grader), who thanked me for being her HillRAP teacher. She stated that she can tell she is reading better, and that she gave the HillRAP program the credit for this.

Nancy McLaughlin, SBMS

Hill Center Student, Courtney Morsberger, Volunteers for a Great Cause

2010-01-06T00:00:00-04:00

Christmas Spirit Fills Rescue Mission Daycare

Reprinted from Durham Herald Sun

By Keith Upchurch

DURHAM -- Love is in the air at the Durham Rescue Mission's Good Samaritan Inn.

It's the love for others that's motivated a Chapel Hill family to say no to themselves and yes to children who have fallen on hard times.

Mike Morsberger, his wife and two daughters decided to "adopt" a five-room day care at the center for homeless mothers and their children this holiday season, rather than spending the money on Christmas presents for themselves. And to hear them tell it, their giving was a more precious gift to themselves than presents under a tree could ever have been.

"When my wife and I were looking for some kind of special service project during the holidays to involve my daughters in, it was just a natural that we would pick the mission," Morsberger, a Rescue Mission board member, said as he applied a fresh coat of paint. "Now the girls are involved, and it's bringing us a lot of joy. It really is."

The family painted the five-room day-care center, installed new carpeting, curtains and blinds and added games and furniture for the children, who use the center while their mothers attend class at the mission, located off Interstate 85.

And their generosity was contagious. When they went to Frazee Carpets and Interiors to buy the carpet, the owner decided to donate $500 worth of it to the cause.

"Now, we'll have carpets that match the newly painted rooms," Morsberger said.

For his daughter, 18-year-old Courtney, the project was a labor of love.

"I feel great about it, especially because it's for kids," she said. "And I love kids. I actually want to be an elementary school teacher."

The East Chapel Hill High School senior said it was worth giving up some Christmas presents to make others happy.

"Everyone who has come in [from the mission] has been so thankful and nice, and helped out if they could. They just seem to be really excited about it."

Carla Peake, the day-care director, said the gift is one she'll never forget.

"We have never had anything like this for our day care before," she said. "Everything was just kind of drab. And the children that come through usually have been through so much as it is.

"It's kind of traumatic, coming into a new place, and they're just here with people they don't know."

She said the atmosphere has changed completely.

"They have painted bright, fresh colors," she said. "It's warm and relaxing. They're creating a reading corner. It's goi ng to have big, fluffy pillows so that an adult can sit with the children and read."

"It's unbelievable," she said. "I think I'm as excited, if not more, than the kids. It's absolutely going to be beautiful. I'm so grateful."

Peake tipped her hat to the Morsbergers.

"They are really amazing people," she said. "Their generosity is coming straight from the heart."

Thanks for reading!
The Herald-Sun - Trusted & Essential

Grand Opening Celebration a Huge Success

2009-10-22T00:00:00-04:00

Appeared in The Herald-Sun October 15, 2009

By Matthew E. Milliken

DURHAM -- The Hill Center threw a housewarming party on a cool, rainy Wednesday afternoon.

The center, which is devoted to helping K-12 students with diagnosed learning disabilities or attention-deficit disorders, was celebrating the opening of its new Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center. The 15,000-square-foot building is linked to the Hill Center's 11-year-old headquarters at 3200 Pickett Road and is meant to extend the organization's outreach programs.

While the Hill Center runs a half-day school for about 140 challenged learners -- the students spend the rest of their time at their regular public or private schools -- much of its efforts are focused on training others in the methods that the organization has successfully used since its founding in 1977.

'With the Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center, we have the opportunity to open a new chapter in our mission of transforming children with learning disabilities into confident learners,' Brad Brinegar, chairman of the Hill Center's board of directors, told a group of perhaps 100 donors and partners.

Howard Lee, the former Chapel Hill mayor and state senator who is now executive director of the governor's Education Cabinet, spoke for about 25 minutes on the Hill Center and education in North Carolina. He said that he has long supported and will continue to promote public education partnerships with the Hill Center.

Lee was full of praise for the Kirby-Horton building. 'I am just blown over by what I am seeing here in the form of this facility,' he said. 'I think this is just wonderful.'

The education official also called the new teacher training center, which cost $4.6 million and was funded by private donations, 'equal to any corporate training center I think I've seen anywhere.'

The new building features touch-sensitive SMART Boards, which can project computer presentations, and Internet-capable cameras. The cameras can be used for videoconferences or to record training sessions for future use.

After Lee's talk, visitors were free to wander the facility and watch the technology in action. One room featured a live videoconference with a teacher who is using Hill Center methods at a school in El Salvador.

The center also has 'replication sites' in Greenville, Wilmington, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Geneva, Switzerland.

That's in addition to numerous public school partnerships.

When two Durham public school teachers were asked whether they have seen Hill Center methods help their students, one waved her hands to convey adulation and mock worship.

'We love it, we love it,' said Linda Jones, who started learning the Hill Center approach in 2003. 'We have seen improvements in their reading and also in their [end-of-grade] scores.'

'When you give them that boost in reading, we notice their math scores going up,' said Cynthia Webb, noting that many standardized math tests involve word problems.

Jeanne Huntley is an assistant superintendent with the Carteret County school system. Struggling Carteret students taught with Hill Center programs have progressed two or three grade levels in the space of a year.

'We have seen incredible growth of students,' Huntley said. 'But more importantly are the anecdotal response that we get from families of first-time readers -- even for high-school students.'

'They've been with us all along the way,' Lisa Kittrell, Carteret's elementary education director, said of Hill trainers. 'They come back, they model, they work with our teachers whenever they have questions, which is different than a lot of other training that you get.'

Katherine Mabe is implementing Hill Center methods in Brunswick County schools. She was thrilled by a recent videoconference between teachers in her district and the Kirby-Horton center.

'It was very exciting,' Mabe said. 'So we're already seeing the benefits, and we're going to put in some sessions where we can continue that. We're going to try to do it at least once a month.'

Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center Opens!!!

2009-08-17T09:52:04-04:00

The Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center is officially open. The new facility opened its doors on August 3rd, as staff members moved into their offices and preparations began for the first workshop in late September. The official grand opening ceremony will take place on October 14th. To view pictures of the new facility, click on the photo album link located on the left side of this page.

Summer School Kicks Off with Record Numbers

2009-07-01T00:00:00-04:00

The 2009 Summer School Program is in full swing with a record number of students. This years class is made up of 68 students in grades K-8 from throughout the triangle. They are not only taking in all the great academic instruction, but making friendships that will last a lifetime. Many of these students are returning from previous summers and some will join us in the fall.

Students Continue to Receive Accolades

2009-05-18T00:00:00-04:00

Congratulations to the following students/alumni for their fine accomplishments:

Jenna Osborn is valedictorian of Chapel Hill High School.

Mally Smith was voted Northwood High School Class President.

Sharice Chandler, Hill Center '05, graduated from Guilford College on the Dean's list.

Limited space available..

2009-05-07T00:00:00-04:00

Don't miss out on signing up for one of our exciting summer enrichment courses. These include, SAT Review, Keyboarding, Study Skills, HillRAP and HillMath to just name a few. For more details or to inquire about openings, please contact Gaye Thompson at gthompson@hillcenter.org

HillMath Program Enjoys Early Success

2009-04-20T00:00:00-04:00

The Hill Center kicked off its first two-day workshop last month to rave reviews. The program is in its early stages of implementation, but will go national this week (April 22-25) in Washington, DC, at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference. Workshop participants had the following to say about the program.

"HillMath really helps teachers get organized and plan systematically, by using oral drill, fluency, and number dictation, which in turn benefits our students, giving them a strong mathematical foundation." - Rehanna Sultana

"As an administrator of an RTI school, I have found this math program to be an invaluable resource. My teachers are finding many ways to target their instruction to their children's individual instructional needs." - Michele Woodson

"I really enjoyed the workshop. It was the best math workshop I have ever attended." - Franka McKinney

See ya in DC!!!

Hill Students in the News...

2009-04-07T00:00:00-04:00

Hill Center Students Continue to Shine...

Samuel Chetty is going to the North Carolina Music Teachers Associaion State Festival on April 18th to participate in the piano competition. He recently won the regional competition.

Chloe Akers-Silverman will be performing in the Barriskill Dance Theatre School production of CATS June 26-28.

Dan Eron was listed at the News and Observer's "Player to Watch" in lacrosse from East CHHS.

Ben Thomason was the Herald Sun Student Athlete of the week (golf).

Hill Center Student Receives Special Gift

2009-03-26T00:00:00-04:00

This past October, my daughter, Hannah was invited to the Challenged Athletes Foundation's (CAF) San Diego Triathlon. This was an incredible experience for Hannah where she met other amputee children, attended a gait training session which taught her how to run correctly with prosthesis and exposed her to adult women amputees who have become mentors to her. During the weekend in San Diego, CAF surprised Hannah with a special running prosthesis. This prosthesis has allowed Hannah to become a more stable runner which has been a great source of confidence for her as she is now able to keep up with her peers, and in fact, helped her complete a 5K this past December!

During the event when Hannah received the running leg, her "story" was told to a crowd of over 500 people. Two women, Melissa Stockwell and Patty Collins were inspired by Hannah receiving this running leg and decided to raise money for CAF where the funds will go towards prosthesis for girls. The costs for these running legs can amount to over $20,000.00 of which insurance companies will not pay for. Melissa and Patty have formed a team and will compete in the Aflac Irongirl Triathlon in Las Vegas in May. Proceeds raised will go to CAF for prosthesis for girls. You can imagine our surprise when we received a call from CAF inviting Hannah and Ashley to attend this event with the purpose of recognizing Hannah as their inspiration to raise money to benefit little girls. Both Melissa and Patty are veterans of the war in Iraq and are both amputees. This past summer Melissa won a gold medal in swimming in the Beijing Paralympics. Thanks for all the work that CAF has done for folks like my daughter.

Teachers Say It Best.....

2009-03-18T00:00:00-04:00

My HillRAP (Hill Reading Achievement Program)students are more excited and inspired to read than ever before. My HillRAP students are learning that reading can be enjoyable and rewarding at the same time as opposed to laborious and discouraging. The pace is fast and it is amazing how much we can accomplish together in a 45 minute session. This program has worked miracles for students that have severe behaviors and diagnoses of Autism, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, ADD, ODD, Severely Emotionally Disturbed, and are homeless or come from poverty. I have embraced the Hill Center Philosophy and enjoy experiencing success from students who had all odds against them.

Teacher- Carteret County School System

Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center Taking Shape

2009-03-17T00:00:00-04:00

The progress being made on the Kirby-Horton Teacher Training Center is amazing. With a July completion date in site, things are moving quickly. For a sneak peek at the progress, visit the photo album link on the left hand side of the page.

HillRAP Enjoys Continued Success in Carteret County

2009-02-19T00:00:00-04:00

“This program makes me want to read again,” says a sophomore HillRAP student at West Carteret High School in Morehead City, NC. HillRAP, now being implemented in Carteret County public schools, has given him the skills that he has needed to feel good about his ability to read for learning as well as for enjoyment.

The 08-09 school year marks the first of a four-year partnership with Friends of the Front Street Village, Carteret County Schools, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and The Hill Center. Friends of Front Street Village has provided a grant to train forty teachers in HillRAP (Hill Reading Achievement Program) in the Carteret County Public Schools over the next four years. In August 2008 nineteen teachers were trained in HillRAP methodology. Of the nineteen teachers in the project, twelve come from Bogue Sound, Harkers Island, Morehead at Camp Glenn, Newport, Smyrna, and White Oak elementary schools, four from Beaufort, Broad Creek, and Newport middle schools, and three from Croatan, East Carteret, and West Carteret high schools.

Amy Taylor from Newport Elementary says the methodology training has helped her acquire a more structured, sequential method of instruction. She feels the strategies she has learned have made a difference with her students. “I also wanted to tell you that I taught my students how to use the small colored discs when deleting phonemes from various locations in a word during phonological awareness. Dewayne loves it! It really worked for several of my students!”

Linda Marino who has been implementing HillRAP as a classroom teacher and tutor says, “As a result of Hill Center training, I am feeling confident and successful with tutoring and classroom instruction. In addition, the word lists and graphs enable my students to monitor their progress. They are able to correlate the effort that they put forth with personal progress. The resultant pride generates enthusiasm towards subsequent word lists. This feeds my zeal, which causes me to be engaged with my students.”

Courtney Horne, a HillRAP teacher at West Carteret, has been impressed by the way HillRAP allows her to assess her student’s needs and individualize their instruction within a group setting. Courtney has also been pleased with the mentor component of this program. While working on certification in HillRAP methodology, Hill Center mentors observe in the classrooms and provide feedback and consultation. “I can't tell you how appreciative I am to be involved in this program, for the first time in a while, I feel like I'm making a difference. It's so nice to be able to say that again!”

Dr. Tamara Walser from UNC-W is heading up the evaluation component of the HillRAP project. Data will be analyzed to determine academic growth of the students in the program. In addition to the HillRAP training, the grant has awarded 360 scholarships to teachers in Carteret County to take on-line courses offered by The Hill Center.

Join us on Facebook

2009-02-09T00:00:00-04:00

The Hill Center is encouraging people to join our Facebook page. To become a friend of The Hill Center, either invite us from your current page or set-up an account. We are listed under Hill Center. This is a great way to find old friends, classmates and stay in touch with the goings-on here at The Hill Center.

Concerned Parents Gather in Wilson County

2009-01-26T00:00:00-04:00

In August of last year, Susan Moore's then 6-year-old son, Will, couldn't read due to several learning disabilities. But by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, Will was reading and enjoying children's books.

Moore, of Tarboro, said her miracle came after she moved Will and his 9-year-old brother, Thomas, to Chapel Hill that summer so Will could attend The Hill Center, a nonprofit school in Durham that has successfully been educating children with learning disabilities since 1977.

She said The Hill Center's methodology works, and her child is proof.

"I'm 110 percent convinced that it works," she said.

Moore, a co-founder of ENCMOMS, a support group for area parents of learning disabled children, was one of about 35 people who crowded a conference room at White's International Trucks Sunday to hear a presentation hosted by the group on the benefits of The Hill Center and its proven techniques. Directors of The Hill Center were invited by ENCMOMS to give a general presentation on the center and its methodology, and the possibility of its implementation locally.

During the meeting, everyone from concerned parents to Wilson County school board members showed up to listen as Michele Sparrow, associate director/vice president of the school, and Angela Duncan, director of outreach programs for the school, spoke about the school's unique teaching method -- the Hill Methodology -- and how it can be implemented at local schools.

The school, Sparrow said, works as a half-day school where students get needed instruction in the morning, then return to their regular schools in the afternoon. The school's programs, which teach about 180 children, grades kindergarten through 12, from 47 schools, on average only have to keep students from two to three years before they catch up to their classmates.

"It's really important that students are given a curriculum so that they can be successful, and so they can make up that time that's been lost," Sparrow said.

The Hill Center offers academic, summer, enrichment and tutoring programs, Sparrow said, and it has also implemented its program at other schools, including helping to create half-day models in Greenville, Wilmington and even as far away as Geneva, Switzerland, and San Salvador, El Salvador.

Schools in Brunswick, Davie, Carteret and Durham counties, among others, have implemented the school's math, reading and literacy programs, she said.

She added that the program also works to help teachers who learn the methodology become fluent enough to spread it to other teachers and schools elsewhere, thus perpetuating the program.

Duncan talked about the Hill Methodology specifically, as well its adapted programs Hill RAP (Reading Achievement Program), HillWrite (Written Language Achievement Program), HillMath (Math Achievement Program).

Duncan explained how the Hill Methodology, for the reading components, uses guided practice to help students recall spelling patterns, sounds, grammar definitions, punctuation and capitalization rules and composition strategies. The math component works to help students gain automatic recollection of math rules and formulas and uses word problems to help students solve math problems.

The program places great emphasis on measuring childrens' performance and progress while offering praise, she said.

"If you can't tell me how you're measuring my child's performance, you're not doing anything to help me," she said.

She added that studies have shown the program methodology helps learning disabled students learn faster than those without such help.

Following the presentation, both women fielded questions from audience members about the program and its benefits.

Christine L. Fitch, Wilson County Board of Education member, asked specifically about the time commitment for teachers to be certified to teach the Hill Methodology and adapted progams, and thanked ENCMOMS and The Hill Center for being invited to the event.

Sparrow laid out the guidelines for teacher commitment for the program.

"I thank you for the presentation-- and I'm not here as a parent, I'm here as a board member for Wilson County Schools -- for having been invited to learn more," Fitch said.

By Antonio Velarde/Daily Times Staff Writer

Rewired brains help children read better

2009-01-06T00:00:00-04:00

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW

An intensive reading program conducted three years ago in 50 Allegheny County schools permanently "rewired" the brains of dyslexic children, Carnegie Mellon University researchers said Wednesday.

In the scientific journal Neuropsychologia, neuroscientist Marcel Just reported that brain scans of 25 fifth-graders who participated in the reading program managed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit improved to near-normal activity in brain areas responsible for reading.

"I'm just thrilled," said Donna Durno, executive director of the intermediate unit, which serves all the public school districts in the county except Pittsburgh. "We're finding something that can help children to read better. ... Having the program so concretely defined as successful is really exciting."

Nearly 1,500 students participated in the $9.6 million Power4Kids Reading Initiative during the 2004-05 school year. Several nonprofits, including the Heinz Foundation, paid for the program, which involved 100 hours of reading instruction.

Just, the director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, and his colleagues scanned the brains of a sample of those students. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in blood flow in the brain while the students read sentences and determined if they made sense.

Scans were done before the 100 hours of instruction, immediately after and one year later. At the end of the program, the children who were poor readers had brain activity nearly the same as children with similar IQs who didn't have reading problems.

Gains in brain activity persisted even a year after the program ended.

"You can think about this as education changing people's brains," Just said. "You could assess whether you're effectively teaching a child by how their brain activity changes."

Guinevere Eden, president-elect of the International Dyslexia Association and director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University Medical Center, said Just's study advances the work of dyslexia researchers by imaging the children's brain activity while asking them to comprehend entire sentences, rather than single words.

"This is ... a valuable addition to a series of studies," said Eden, an associate professor of pediatrics.

Just said his dream would be for schools that specialize in strengthening the skills of poor readers to have fMRI machines on site to monitor a child's progress.

Patricia Hardman, director of the Dyslexia Research Institute in Tallahassee, said that would be expensive, but useful.

"One of the key issues is if we can know initially, at the 4- or 5-year-old level, that a child is not learning and that the reason they're not learning has nothing to do with culture or IQ, but a difference in how their brain works," she said. "Then we could immediately give them the type of instruction that they need to overcome that."