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What Others Are Saying About the JLC
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One could see the cultural change of teachers transforming their work...
"In our school district, we concluded that we needed to refocus our efforts onto student literacy. Ray Jorgensen of the Jorgensen Learning Center facilitated two years of conversations involving staff at all levels, K-12. All of our principals attended, as well as representative teachers from all areas: elementary, special education, reading, school librarians, and all secondary subject areas (including math and science). We ended up forming school level literacy teams, whose responsibility it was to return from our meeting to their buildings and to engage the entire building in literacy conversations.
The result was a district-wide conversation about improving the literacy of our students. One day, music teachers approached me and stated they had realized that there was such a thing as a “literate” music student, something about which they had not reflected before. While touring a middle school, a physical education teacher invited me into his gym to show me essays his students had written about sports issues. He very proudly stated that he was working on literacy with his students.
With the Jorgensen Learning Center's guidance, we were able to have over 600 teachers moving in the same direction with respect to literacy. This effort then “spun off” into a partnership with a major university to provide reading coaches at the elementary level to work with all of our classroom teachers to incorporate literacy activities into their work, including leveled libraries, the reading workshop model and the writing workshop model.
The year I retired, this university partnership had been extended into the middle schools. As a result of all of this effort, our English Language Arts scores did rise; but, more important, one could see the cultural change of teachers transforming their work and more children reading and writing, and enjoying the activity. With Ray’s guidance, we transformed the entire culture of a school district that serves 6,500 children."
William J. Brosnan, Superintendent of Schools (retired), Northport, New York
"In our school district, we concluded that we needed to refocus our efforts onto student literacy. Ray Jorgensen of the Jorgensen Learning Center facilitated two years of conversations involving staff at all levels, K-12. All of our principals attended, as well as representative teachers from all areas: elementary, special education, reading, school librarians, and all secondary subject areas (including math and science). We ended up forming school level literacy teams, whose responsibility it was to return from our meeting to their buildings and to engage the entire building in literacy conversations.
The result was a district-wide conversation about improving the literacy of our students. One day, music teachers approached me and stated they had realized that there was such a thing as a “literate” music student, something about which they had not reflected before. While touring a middle school, a physical education teacher invited me into his gym to show me essays his students had written about sports issues. He very proudly stated that he was working on literacy with his students.
With the Jorgensen Learning Center's guidance, we were able to have over 600 teachers moving in the same direction with respect to literacy. This effort then “spun off” into a partnership with a major university to provide reading coaches at the elementary level to work with all of our classroom teachers to incorporate literacy activities into their work, including leveled libraries, the reading workshop model and the writing workshop model.
The year I retired, this university partnership had been extended into the middle schools. As a result of all of this effort, our English Language Arts scores did rise; but, more important, one could see the cultural change of teachers transforming their work and more children reading and writing, and enjoying the activity. With Ray’s guidance, we transformed the entire culture of a school district that serves 6,500 children."
William J. Brosnan, Superintendent of Schools (retired), Northport, New York
Dear Jorgensen Learning Center~
I just wanted to drop a note to say how much our entire organization is indebted to Brian McElyea of Jorgensen Learning Center. He has been absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!! In a very short time he has gave us a great assessment of what we need to be looking at. The great thing about Brian is that he is 100% bought in and part of the solution for our organization. My chairman wasn't convinced at first because he is not a "touchy feeling" guy, but didn't understand that we had to learn to crawl before we walked and Brian was able to show him and the rest of our executive team that.
We are doing so much better just because they are finally able to understand what I've been preaching to them for months, so I personally appreciate Brian.
Thanks again.
Mark C.
Duke University Medical Center
I just wanted to drop a note to say how much our entire organization is indebted to Brian McElyea of Jorgensen Learning Center. He has been absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!! In a very short time he has gave us a great assessment of what we need to be looking at. The great thing about Brian is that he is 100% bought in and part of the solution for our organization. My chairman wasn't convinced at first because he is not a "touchy feeling" guy, but didn't understand that we had to learn to crawl before we walked and Brian was able to show him and the rest of our executive team that.
We are doing so much better just because they are finally able to understand what I've been preaching to them for months, so I personally appreciate Brian.
Thanks again.
Mark C.
Duke University Medical Center