In the late 1950’s, a ruling by the Supreme Court called for integration. The Court declared that public schools could not be segregated schools. Parents who did not agree with that ruling found alternate ways to change their kids’ schools.
Some parents put their children in private schools. In some cities, such as Houston, they established specialized schools. In those specialized kids schools, the focus was on a single subject. When those schools were first initiated, only children from upper-class homes generally sought permission to enter such specialized schools.
By the end of the 1950’s, the educators in the U.S. realized that the kids educational needs might have allowed the U.S.S.R. to move ahead faster in the “space race.” As a result, the existing kids’ schools began to get new programs. Students learned modern math, and they found that the teachers spent more time on science.
Later, after the changes instituted by the Civil Rights Movement, kids’ schools in the U.S. got many new textbooks. They needed reading books that did not have only pictures of Caucasian children. They needed history books that presented information about many of the different ethnic groups in the United States.
Then, when the students were asked to read from their new books, educators made an alarming observation. They observed that many students were not learning how to read. By the early 1990’s, educators had begun to debate the benefits and problems with two different techniques for the teaching of reading. Educators began to look more closely at those techniques that focused on phonics, and those techniques that used the “whole language” approach.
Fortunately, during the same period, some kids schools got some much-needed help. Some schools could invite their students to sign-up for special after-school programs. A few of those programs included lessons that could help a child learn to read.
American society realized that kids’ educational needs did not have to be addressed in kids schools. Some libraries and after-school programs allotted time for the presentation of material from Reading Is Fundamental instructors. At least one big-city newspaper began to run a page designed for children. It typically contained a short children’s story.
Other non-profit groups sought to provide students with more reading material. Some groups collected books, and other groups supplied the school libraries with special volunteers. All such groups displayed their offerings at various book-focused festivals.
The present-day kids schools have well-lighted, well-stocked and fully-staffed school libraries. They motivate students to do lots of reading.