BSRI is a non-profit corporation founded jointly by Ed Moscovitch, who worked closely with Jack Rennie on "Every Child a Winner" and who is the outside evaluator for Alabama's $56 million a year state reading program, and by Barbara Gardner, formerly the Assistant Commissioner at Massachusetts DoE for reading and early childhood programs. BSRI is not affiliated with the state department of education; it receives most of its funds from the Massachusetts legislature through a contract with Middlesex Community College.

BSRI believes in doing school turnaround with schools, not to them: its program is based on a partnership with schools. BSRI understands that the vast majority of principals and teachers work hard at their jobs and care deeply about the progress of their students. Any successful change model has to start by building on existing strengths in each school. At the same time, most teachers and principals do have the pedagogical and leadership tools they need to work successfully with students from non-literate homes. BSRI's program is therefore based on in-depth, frequent, hands-on coaching and training for principals and teachers and a clear. explicit, research-based approach to teaching reading.

Title One is a federal aid program for schools. The goal of Title One is to ensure a high-quality education for every child, by providing extra help to students who need it most. Title One money is distributed to school districts and individual schools based on the number of low-income families.
Highland School qualifies for a schoolwide Title One program. This means all students benefit from parts of the program. The Title One services offered at Highland School Include:

Reading Assistance from a Title One Reading Specialist	A summer reading program, partially funded by Title One
Title One students receive monthly issues of Recipes for Success and Reading Connection publications	Quarterly newsletter for Title One families for information on the program, helpful hints, and upcoming events
Reading Recovery	Team Teaching training
Parent Advisory Council to keep you informed and involved in the program	Development of a Literacy Library
Family, parent, and student activities to promote literacy, sponsored by PAC	To download the Highland School Learning Compact, click here

Title One Teachers, Jennifer Schumacher, Deb Florek, and Benjamin Forbes
Title One Supervisor, Sheila Conroy

The Westfield Public Schools offers a Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) model of English language support to eligible students in grades K-12. Students who are not native speakers of English are entitled to at least one full year of SEI instruction by qualified teachers. In SEI classrooms, the teachers deliver the curriculum in English. Teachers and tutors provide support in the students’ native languages for clarification, helping students have complete access to curricular goals. All students who receive support in the Sheltered English program are responsible for the same curriculum as the native-English speaking students. All students who are placed in the SEI program are referred to as English language learners (ELLs). All ELLs are identified by the state-mandated written and oral English language proficiency testing administered each Spring. Any student who has test scores indicating ELL status will be placed into the Sheltered English program. Any questions regarding this newest form of bilingual education can be directed to the Bilingual/English as a Second Language office at the Central Office at Ashley Street. More information regarding state regulations for bilingual education and ELLs can be found at the Massachusetts Department of Education website, http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/

Bilingual/English as a Second Language Coordinator, Teresa Benedetti, Ph.D.