Educators at Pittsburgh Weil PreK-5 say a new literacy initiative will improve academics at the Hill District school.
Weil teachers have implemented the enhanced core reading instruction program for students in kindergarten through second grades.
“It takes a curriculum and enhances it,” said Principal Kira Henderson. “It provides teachers with different instructional strategies. They still teach the curriculum but students are more equipped and practicing the foundational skills for them to read and comprehend.”
Weil is the only Pittsburgh Public school to implement the program, said Rebecca Adrian, a PPS instructional coach helping to administer the program at Weil.
The program overlays into the PPS English curriculum and focuses on subjects like phonic awareness, high frequency words and pronunciation, Adrian said.
“We felt like students were just looking at us,” Henderson said. “We wanted them to engage and have their eyes on text, and this provides for that. (The enhanced core reading instruction program) can be described as the missing puzzle piece to get kids excited about fundamental skills.”
Students participate in the program daily for about a half-hour, Adrian said.
The district was awarded a $20,000 state grant to implement the program at Weil. Grant funding was focused on improving literacy skills for economically disadvantaged learners.
More than 90% of Weil’s 178 students are considered economically disadvantaged by the state department of education. In the 2024-25 school year, just less than 25% of students scored proficient or advanced on English Language Arts state assessment.
“Our gap is in K-2,” Henderson said. “If kids came in reading at grade 3, we would see students at achievement, not just growth. If you can’t read, there’s not much you can do. I can’t think of one job that doesn’t involve reading and comprehension.”
At the beginning of the school year, about 60% of kindergarten students at Weil were well-below the English benchmark, and about 18% were at or above the benchmark. Now, 48% of Weil kindergarten students are below the benchmark and 24% are at or above the benchmark.
Among Weil first grade students, the school saw a 26% decrease in students well-below the English benchmark from the beginning of this school year to now, and an 18% increase in students scoring at or above the benchmark.
“When they know it, and there’s no question they know it, it’s so rewarding for myself and I’m sure for themselves and their teachers,” Adrian said.
Henderson said the school’s goal is to have all students meet state benchmarks.
“This is not just an initiative for our school. It’s for students to build confidence and to be productive in society,” she said.
“I’m hoping it’s going to be the change we’re looking for with our kids.”
