SCHOLARSHIPS! FREE TEACHER TRAINING Structured Literacy!

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with BOON and The READING TEACHERS TOP TEN TOOLS, to provide scholarships to early education teachers. We have free in-depth training in the science of reading/ structured literacy, to give to Montana teachers in an effort to support the transformation of literacy in Montana.

Our dyslexia law SB-140, went into effect July 1, 2019 far ahead of any teacher training or understanding of the complexity of dyslexia. We have been playing catch up to get schools moving in the right direction by training their teachers and providing science of reading curriculum.

This past fall I traveled by foot over 200 miles and another 2,000 miles by car, train and bicycle to meet personally, face to face, with rural principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, and teachers to gain a clear understanding of their knowledge of SB-!40 Law and what they could do to help students learn to read efficiently and proficiently. I was both elated and devastated. Our state is a local control state which means all schools have the right to run their school as they see fit. This is useful because each each school needs are unique. However, when we need to get all Montana schools up to speed on a approaches like teaching reading most effectively based on best practice, it is a nightmare and slow going. In an effort to help speed this along I have developed a "cheat sheet" of a step- by- step roadmap, to implement effective dyslexia instruction and, I have made myself personally available for complementary walk through consultation to all rural schools in Montana. My cell number is (406)579-8521.

Our Teacher training scholarships, provided in partnership with BOON (boonphilanthopy.org), are part of our effort to transform Montana into a state that excels at literacy for all, especially addressing the outdated methods of teaching reading. 20% of Montana kids never receive correct instructions during their entire public school experience. Imagine their shame, pain and frustration when schools fail them year in and year out.

Did you know only 35% of Montana students graduate from High school proficient in reading?

Teachers are not trained at the university level to teach reading using the science of reading like they once were decades ago. There are rare exceptions, but they are far and few between. We are working with Higher Education in Montana to make changes in the training of all Elementary teacher candidates prior to graduation. We are gaining traction but are far from our goal of all Montana teachers being equipped to teach reading effectively. Most Montana schools use balanced and whole language curriculums that have proven to be highly unsuccessful. This gap in understanding and equipped teachers is to root cause of the struggle and suffering of children as well as children giving up on school and themselves.

This stops NOW! When we train teachers, they are aware of what is best and can avoid poor curriculum and outdated approaches to teaching reading. They will demand better from their administration and children will reach their true potential in tac, without the academic, social and emotional damage they are currently experiencing.

If you know of a Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade elementary education teacher, who is dedicated to the well being and academic excellence of young students, reach out to me asap. We have 10 scholarships remaining in our effort to TRANSFORM MONTANA SCHOOLS by providing top notch online teacher training. There are 3 continuing education credits available for all participants. Training with your cohort begins in early February. The training takes about 6 months to complete.

Deadline to be considered for a FULL SCHOLARSHIP is January 22nd.

Please reach out to Kelly Fedge-DuBose, Leader of DDMT at (406)579-8521 ASAP.

Thank you for being a part of the transformation of Montana schools. We are excited to be on this journey together!