But more is needed. Phonics instruction must be used to give students the word-attack skills they need to decipher unknown words. Students also need the opportunity to express themselves creatively. There must be increased, ongoing staff development that provides teachers and even principals with a variety of strategies to assist them in successfully teaching reading. It instituted a needed character education program.
Character education builds student self-esteem, which is a building block of motivation.
However, teachers also need training in approaches that motivate students. As schools' discretionary dollars grow tighter, we will be unable to continue awarding prizes as incentives. We need help in moving our constituencies from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation or, learning for the sake of learning. Motivation is the key, staff development is the mechanism, and, with these two, increased academic achievement will be the result. Phyllis Tate has been principal of Einstein Elementary School in the Oakland community for nine years.