BURBANK'S PROGRAMS RING THE BELL; DISTRICT'S LITERACY, GUIDANCE EFFORTS EARN AWARDS.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Literacy and guidance counseling programs for Burbank elementary students have been recognized by the California School Boards Association for outstanding depth and the ability to meet students' changing needs.

The Burbank Unified School District's Bringing Early Literacy to Life program and its Elementary Guidance Adviser program were among 53 programs statewide to receive the association's Golden Bell awards.

``Burbank has been ahead of the game with BELL,'' said Andrea Canady, director of elementary education for the district, referring to statewide efforts to achieve literacy. ``I don't know of another school district who has hired reading specialists to work with teachers so they can gain the skills they need to work with students having problems with reading.''

Canady said the guidance program is unusual because few school districts have guidance advisers for elementary school students. Most school districts have guidance counseling at the secondary level only.

The Burbank program provides guidance advisers to students who need help with everything from making friends to coping with tragedies such as death.

Parents and students said the Burbank programs have made a difference.

Kathleen Hermann said her 12-year-old son's reading skills have improved since participating in a literacy club at Emerson Elementary School, an outgrowth of the BELL program that pairs fourth- and fifth-graders with younger students learning how to read.

``Being a tutor reinforced his reading skills,'' Hermann said of her son, who has dyslexia. ``Now he's in the Gifted and Talented Education program and he's getting straight A's.''

The two Burbank programs were chosen by a 22-member panel of educators from school districts, county offices of education and the state Office of Child Development and Education.

Statewide, there were 276 entries.

``We do look for programs that are connected to the district and that are part of the larger scope of a strategic plan,'' said James Morante, spokesman for the California School Boards Association.

Started in 1995, Burbank's BELL program provides literacy training to teachers, administrators, classroom aides and parents, who are taught how to foster reading and how to support classroom lessons at home.

``We believe it's important to have teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and parents well-trained,'' said Colleen Solomon, a literacy resource teacher who coordinates the program. ``We think teachers can do a great job, but everybody needs to be on the same page.''

The program also offers summer school literacy classes to elementary students. And teachers can observe lessons at a demonstration site equipped with a two-way mirror or have literacy resource teachers visit their classrooms to demonstrate lessons.

Alison Ranshaw, 9, a fourth-grader at Emerson Elementary, said her reading skills have improved markedly since participating in the campus reading club, which meets for 25-minute sessions three days a week.

Once a struggling reader herself, Alison now volunteers as a tutor to first- and second-graders in the program.

``I know what they've been through,'' said Alison, who entered the program as a first-grader. ``I was struggling in reading a lot. My teacher couldn't understand my spelling. I couldn't understand my spelling.''

Now she's helping other students make the connection.

The Elementary Guidance Adviser program also received high marks from parents, students and teachers.

``The program is tailor-made to fit individual students' needs and what teachers want and what parents want,'' said Theresa Divinski, a guidance adviser at George Washington Elementary, which piloted the program.

The program was started nine years ago at all 11 elementary schools. Guidance advisers talk to students in groups and individually.

At Washington Elementary, Divinski talks to classes about everything from drug and alcohol prevention to multiculturalism. She also talks to youngsters out of class, sometimes referring families to social service agencies for counseling or other assistance.

Parents said having a guidance adviser on campus is like having an extra set of eyes and ears looking out for the well-being of their children.

``It's really wonderful,'' said Charlie Lahaie, who has two children at Washington Elementary. ``To have that support and to have them stick their nose into the classrooms and find out what's going on - it's just great.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) Children from Mrs. McTighe's third-grade classroom spend time playing in Washington Elementary School's Friendship Garden.

(2) Theresa Divinski, a guidance adviser at George Washington, talks to students in the garden area.

John Lazar/Daily News