Why One Memphis Principal Reads Bedtime Stories to Students via Facebook Live
July 15, 2019
By: Laura Faith Kebede
Source: Chalkbeat
What started as a way to give parents a break and excite students about reading has now attracted authors from around the world to send books for Principal Archie Moss to read on Facebook Live. Moss has read bedtime stories every Tuesday night since February when he announced the push for more reading while at Bruce Elementary School’s Black History Month event.
“A lot of the stories we select are ones our students can see themselves in,” Moss said. “Some students don’t like reading because they haven’t found a book where they see themselves represented.” Moss’ weekly bedtime stories attracted global media attention as Shelby County Schools leaders search for ways to incorporate literacy into more aspects of student life. Superintendent Joris Ray recently encouraged local leaders and celebrities with ties to Memphis to get online and follow Moss’ example.
The challenge is steep, but Moss has led the school to improved test scores since 2016. Bruce Elementary School in Memphis sits just outside the city’s poorest zip code and has earned the state’s highest student growth score for annual tests in three of the past four years. But reading scores still lag the district average. During the 2017-18 school year, about 15% of students were reading on grade level compared with 33% for the rest of the state.