How to Boost Reading Scores by 50%

The West Orange Public School District (West Orange, New Jersey) requires amplification in all classrooms. The technology became mandatory after teachers started using FrontRow during the 2003-2004 school year and the district saw first-grade reading scores jump from 59% to 89% at or above grade level.

“That got everybody’s attention, as you can imagine,” said Karen Tarnoff, the district’s testing coordinator. “There was nothing else over the course of the year that was different than in any other year. The teachers and the curriculum remained the same, and nothing new was added other than the amplification system.”

How Mr. Gurney’s Voice Came Back

When kindergarten teacher Dan Gurney of Dunham Elementary (Petaluma, California) first discovered the FrontRow sound system in 2000, he knew right away it would help him improve students’ literacy skills. Having invented a literacy-building program called Soundabet, he was well aware of the need for students to clearly hear individual phonemes.

What he didn’t anticipate was the positive effect it would have on his voice and energy level. Like many teachers, Dan went hoarse several times a year, and regularly felt worn out by the end of the day. In fact, his doctor told him that being repeatedly hoarse was a matter of concern, just as back pain would be for a construction worker.

Soon after using the FrontRow sound system, Dan was elated at how much energy he had at the end of the day and how his voice improved. “In the same way I switch on the lights so I don’t have to teach in a dark room, I switch on my FrontRow so I can be heard without straining,” he says.

How Ms. Baker Got Her Kids to Listen

Principal Joya Baker began using FrontRow sound systems in 2005 in the Banning Unified School District in California. Now, nearly 35 classrooms at all grade levels are equipped.

According to Joya and her teachers, it’s made a huge difference in getting students’ attention. “Now it takes absolutely nothing to get everyone's attention,” she says.“A teacher can say, 'One, two, three — eyes on me,' and everyone looks up because they can hear in every part of the room. It's very easy for the teacher, in a calm manner, to call them back together or get them on task.”

Making teacher training more more effective

With school districts under pressure financially and academically, it's imperative that professional development sessions are effective. Max McGee, President of Illinois Math and Science Academy (Aurora, Illinois) uses the FrontRow ToGo at symposia for principals. While these sessions are notorious for being difficult to hear, leading to distractions and disengagement, McGee found that using the sound system made presentations clear, and the handheld microphone ensured that contributions by the group could be heard as well. “Usually, I am completely exhausted after these workshops," he says, "but I have to say being able to speak in a normal voice enabled me to keep my energy and endurance throughout the entire afternoon. The participants wrote in their evaluations about how I was ‘on’ for the full time and thus kept them more engaged.”

Additionally, McGee notes that “after the first five minutes, [using the system] became second nature.”

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