BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — A major push is underway to improve reading for Buffalo Public School students. One city school has a book vending machine that is helping to achieve that goal.
“Let's go,” declared Nathaniel Barnes, principal, Arthur O. Eve School.
Getting Buffalo School children excited about reading is the theme behind this book vending machine.
Five years ago, the Arthur O. Eve school was the first to bring the machine into its school.
But on Tuesday, students unwrapped an upgraded vending machine donated by Global Vending Group.
Students put a token into the machine to receive a free book they can keep.
Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams says the school board wants her to focus on literacy.
“Our children must be able to read,” stated Dr. Williams, superintendent. “Literacy, mathematics, and graduation rates increasing. The way that we get our children to learn mathematics better is helping them to read better.”
There's been a sharp decline in reading among students since the pandemic. According to data from the New York State Education Department, a little more than 24 percent of third graders in Buffalo Schools were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA). That's down from more than 32 percent in 2018 and 2019.
"My kids love reading and this school has definitely fostered that love of reading,” stated Amy Cross-Viola, parent.
Cross-Viola has two young children at the Arthur Eve School, 5-year-old Kyrah ready to start kindergarten Friday and 6-year-old Mylan, heading into first grade.
“Do you both like reading?” Buckley asked. “Yes,” replied the girls.
“The school does a really great job of getting students excited about reading. They have the principal's monthly reading challenge, where if you read a certain number of books per month, you get to pick a book from the vending machine,” described Cross-Viola.
However, the school only has a proficiency rate of about 25 percent.
“But the problem that we see is when students have a difficult time comprehending, so that's the reason why our school district is moving to a structured literacy block to strike a balance with all the pieces that lead to a proficient reader,” Barnes explained.
But Principal Barnes tells me last year's reading levels bounced back a bit after COVID caused big setbacks.
The Buffalo School superintendent says by the year 2025, they want all third graders to be reading at proficiency level.
“Is it realistic to say by 2025 that number will change for the district?” Buckley questioned. “It's definitely realistic to say that that number will change. We are hopeful that by 2025 all third graders are reading, and with our new structured literacy block and the new curriculum that we've adopted for grades three and beyond. I am confident that we will see that number increase,” replied Barnes.
Dr. Williams tells me initiatives like the book vending machine generate excitement around reading. and the district will be starting an Extending Learning Time program earlier in the school year and will be adding a new reading program.
“We will this year be rolling out for all of our schools. it's a scientific reading intervention, Orton Gillingham, and we have seen tremendous gains in a really short period of time in the schools that we began rolling it out in last year, so teachers have been getting training,” Williams explained. “All of our schools have reading support teachers. We have literacy coaches in many of our schools, and this year we are really pushing that reading happens in all courses, not just ELA or English, or reading social studies, science, Phys ed and we're going to be reinforcing it in a big way.”
But for now, a simple concept of a vending machine has student Victorious Brown Mayfield happy about reading.
“And I’ll make you a just be successful,” responded Brown Mayfield. Because it just like makes me feel good that I can really do it.”
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