Success for All (SFA) are
standards-based Comprehensive School Reform curricula for
early childhood
Early childhood is a stage in human development following infancy and preceding middle childhood. It generally includes toddlerhood and some time afterward. Play age is an unspecific designation approximately within the scope of early childhood.
...
through
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
, produced by the
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
Success for All Foundation (SFAF) of Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how ...
Robert Slavin of
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...
founded SFAF along with his wife and research collaborator,
Nancy Madden. The SFA and its evidence-based school improvement strategy continue to help improve literacy levels and general education in the US, particularly for children in disadvantaged circumstances.
In 2010, Success for All received a nearly $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Improvement strategy
Elements of the SFA school system include: structured teaching of reading (an early leader in phonics teaching); social and emotional development; cooperative learning and oracy; teaching at the right level and providing catch up tutoring for children who are behind.
Tutoring with the Lightning Squad is the SFA tutoring programme. The tutoring is a blended approach with in-person tutoring supported by an online tutoring platform. Tutoring activities are designed to improve reading skills, fluency, comprehension, spelling and phonics.
International
With support from the Fischer Family Trust, SFA UK was established in 1999 to adapt its content in UK schools. SFA has supported over 100 primary schools in the UK with a whole school improvement approach centred on sustainable improvements in teaching and learning literacy whilst developing the effective use of data. In 2019 the SFA school Applegarth was ranked 6th best school in the UK by the Times newspaper.
Tutoring with the Lightning Squad has been made into a UK version in collaboration with SFA UK and FFT education. In 2021 it will be used by 14,000 students to help catch up reading after COVID-19 lockdowns as part of the National Tutoring Programme.
Criticism
The Success for All program was critiqued in
Jonathan Kozol
Jonathan Kozol (born September 5, 1936) is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States.
Education and experience
Born to Harry Kozol and Ruth (Massell) Kozol, Jona ...
's book ''
The Shame of the Nation
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'' as excessively dogmatic, utilitarian, and authoritarian.
The Success for All program was also criticized in Kenneth Saltman's book ''The Edison Schools'' for undermining teacher autonomy, misrepresenting history and culture, and promoting a politicized conservative curriculum agenda under the guise of disinterested objectivity.
See also
*
Robert Slavin
*
Mike Fischer
References
*Slavin, R.E., Madden, N.A., Dolan, L.J., Wasik, B.A., Ross, S., Smith, L., & Dianda, M. (1996). Success for All: A summary of research. ''Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk'', 1(1), 41–76.
"Success for All: Unified curriculum drives Ohio district" Barbara Kantrowitz, ''
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...
'', September 23, 2012
Video: Poorest children among highest performers at Ohio school ''MSNBC'', aired September 24, 2012
*
External links
Success for All Foundation
August 1993, Office of Research, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
Success for All Foundation UKTutoring with the Lightning Squad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Success For All
Learning to read
Reading (process)
Standards-based education
Phonics curricula
Basal readers
United States Department of Education