Closing the Gap: Implementing a Literacy Intervention for At-Risk Kindergartners in Urban Schools

Running head: CLOSING THE GAP
Closing the gap
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1CLOSING THE GAP
In the case of students in urban schools who belong to socially and economically
backward classes, there exists a very wide performance gap as far as literacy achievement is
concerned. This is because these special or high needs communities have more number of at risk
students. This is discussed in great details in the article titled, “Closing the Gap Early:
Implementing a Literacy Intervention for At-Risk Kindergartners in Urban Schools”.
When it comes to writing and reading skills, there is a gap in academic performance
which is usually evident as a lag or a deficit in oral language. In most high need communities,
there is a predominance of the native languages, which has led to a decreased phonological
awareness (MacDonald & Figueredo, 2010). As is well known, the oral skills of a child would
determine his or her academic performance in the long run. A child who lacks oral skills or faces
difficulties in oral communication in the early years, is bound to have reading difficulties later
on. As a result, several literacy initiatives are being implemented by schools and similar
organizations. For instance, the article studies a school in a district in Canada where a bilingual
half day program has been introduced for children. The main focal point of the article is the
KELT program which claims that a mentoring or a tutoring program would be most beneficial
for such children. The main issue is that children do not come to schools with required oral
communication and language skills, which get in the way of them becoming successful learners.
In the KELT program, each kindergarten tutor was provided with a specific curriculum, which
entailed an oral language developmental continuum and also a specialized program for at risk
children. The study provided in the article is based on a school in a district in Canada. As part of
the study, students enrolled in the program were studied along with others, who would be used
for comparison. Results of the study showed that children who took part in the program
demonstrated improved levels of oral communication and showed higher levels of literacy than