Northern literacy rates improving faster than in South
Northern schools have long struggled to keep literacy rates on par with the rest of Saskatchewan. But after a concerted effort to better train teachers, implement new programs, and raise expectations, schools are seeing the results.
While the rest of the province remained status quo, literacy rates in the North improved by seven per cent during the 2016-17 school year according to Dawn Kuppenbender, the superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Northern Lights School Division.
“That’s significant. The province hasn’t seen any increase and we’ve always struggled,” Kuppenbender said. “Really, we’ve been one of the bottom divisions for a number of years, but we’re not at the bottom anymore.”
The seven per cent bump can be attributed to many different programs, but teamwork played a big role in the improvements. Kuppenbender said the school division raised expectations of both staff and students.