The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District has been recognized for implementing an initiative called Project Read.
The New Jersey Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NJLDA) presented representatives of the school district with a Literacy for All award for showing an “exceptional” commitment to literacy.
“Receiving the award was a very humbling but rewarding moment,” Superintendent of Schools John J. Marciante Jr. said. “The recognition by the New Jersey Learning Disabilities Association validated my 11-year commitment to Project Read in our district.”
The award was given at the annual NJLDA Literacy for All Conference.
Marciante said the mission of Project Read is to ensure that all children, no matter their circumstance or ability, have the opportunity to understand, embrace and enjoy the many components of the written and spoken word.
The requirement for the award was a minimum two-year commitment, but in Manalapan-Englishtown, that commitment has been in place for more than a decade and helped the district to stand out among the other districts.
At the time Marciante introduced Project Read to Manalapan-Englishtown, he was the director of pupil personnel services.
In that role, he was responsible for special education and initially brought the program in for that population.
When he became superintendent, Marciante decided to expand the program.
“It became the language of instruction for the primary grades, kindergarten through second grade,” he said.
All special education teachers are fully trained, while the regular education kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade teachers and support staff are familiarized with the program.
“This was accomplished by an ongoing commitment,” Marciante said. “There was training for all new staff, refresher training for old staff and a commitment by administration to ensure that clinical observations valued Project Read.”
An estimated 5,000 students have benefited from the program, according to Marciante.
For the last seven years, every pupil who went through kindergarten has benefited from it, he said. They continued the program in the first and second grades. All special education pupils going back 11 years have benefited, he added.
“What other districts can learn from us is to remain committed to a proven method,” Marciante said. “Too often in education we are turning to the next new thing.”