Award-Winning Authors and Educational Advocates Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy Partner with American Reading Company to Design and Expand Spanish Programs for Bilingual, Dual Language, and World Language Classrooms
One-Of-A-Kind Reading Systems in Spanish Now Used in 74 Districts Nationwide, Including New York City, West Chicago, and Philadelphia
King of Prussa, Pa.—American Reading Company (ARC) announced today that Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy have partnered with ARC to design and expand Spanish programs for bilingual, dual language, and world language classrooms.
“Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy are true pioneers in the development of multicultural and bilingual books for children,” says Jane Hileman, CEO of American Reading Company. “Their understanding of language acquisition theory combined with their innovative methods for incorporating multicultural perspectives make them uniquely qualified to help shape our Spanish book collections. I am overjoyed to have them on board.”
Since 2002, ARC has offered a unified, standards-based framework for student assessment and instruction, and for text leveling in Spanish. The extensive collection in excess of 5,500 Spanish language titles from more than 100 publishers reflects the richness and diversity of the Spanish language and Spanish-speaking cultures. The system reflects the developmental sequence for reading acquisition in Spanish and provides one standards-based framework that levels the books and the students.
According to Ada, “American Reading Company has the most comprehensive program available for schools to ensure a successful reading lifestyle for every student, regardless of native language or current achievement level. I’ve studied the program in action and the results are compelling both in test scores and the tangible student engagement that permeates the classroom.”
“The program makes the right books and the right social supports available to students in bilingual programs,” explains Campoy. “The ‘Traditional Tales’ and ‘Latino Heritage’ Collections offer students the rich multicultural perspectives that foster learning in a fun, challenging and affirming way.”
ARC’s Spanish programs are now used across 19 states in 74 districts, including the New York Department of Education (N.Y.), West Chicago School District (Ill.), School District of Philadelphia (Pa.), Elizabeth Public Schools (N.J.), Rochester City School District (N.Y.), Brownsville Independent School District (Texas), and Okeechobee County School District (Fla.). In addition to the 100 Book Challenge® program en Español, ARC offers Early Literacy and World Culture Collections and Science Research Labs®, which provide authentic Spanish literature in the content areas. All of these programs serve to teach Spanish both to students who are learning to read in Spanish while transitioning to English and to students who are reading in Spanish in order to maintain two languages.
“Isabel and I share the mission and values of American Reading Company in creating environments in which students have choice, power, fun, freedom, and a sense of belonging. The entire school community thrives.” explains Ada. “We welcome this opportunity to shape future collections and help bring this unique and special program to more children and schools across the country.”
About American Reading Company
American Reading Company transforms school cultures to create sustainable reading achievement through training, management, and monitoring systems. The company was founded in 1998 and is now based in King of Prussia, Pa. Today, more than a million students in 1,800 schools across 420 districts in 40 states participate in the company’s programs. Extensive research results show that 100 Book Challenge has boosted the standardized reading test scores of students and dramatically closed the achievement gap in participating schools. Action 100 is the company’s most comprehensive intervention program to turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools under the requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more information, please visit www.americanreading.com.
About Alma Flor Ada
Alma Flor Ada is the award-winning author of more than 200 books for children. She is also a poet, storyteller, educator, mother, and grandmother. With a Ph.D. in literature and a lifelong love for stories, Ada has mastered the art of retelling traditional folktales and nursery rhymes from across Latin America. A native of Cuba who has also lived in Spain, Peru, and the United States, Ada writes poetry, picture books, and novels that offer rich, multicultural perspectives for all children.
About F. Isabel Campoy
F. Isabel Campoy is a Spanish poet, playwright, songwriter, and storyteller. She has written numerous children’s books both in English and in Spanish in the areas of poetry, theatre, folktales, biographies, and art. Campoy is a scholar devoted to the study of language acquisition, a field in which she started publishing in 1973 after obtaining her degrees in Philology from Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Reading University in England, and UCLA in the United States. Her goal is to provide children the key to interpreting the world in a fun, challenging, and affirming way.