SHARED EDUCATION PARENTS LEARN KIDS' BOOKS.

Byline: Marci Wormser Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Non-English-speaking parents of Cimarron Elementary School pupils are going back to school beside their children to improve their reading skills - the parent's and the child's.

The school's voluntary reading improvement program has parents and youngsters reading to each other and discussing elementary-grade-level books.

``We wanted to do this to help the parents and give them the skills they need to help their kids,'' said Elyse Venetz, a first-grade Cimarron teacher and reading program coordinator. ``We wanted to give priority to our English-language-learning parents, but it seems like they're the ones taking part in it anyway.''

The concept originated in New Zealand in 1990 by teachers who recognized the correlation between parental involvement and students' reading skills and academic achievement.

A Cimarron teacher brought the program to the school after he attended a workshop about it. The Palmdale school is the only one in the Antelope Valley that has implemented it, said kindergarten teacher Karen Engle, the program coordinator.

``We wanted to use what they (New Zealand) had because they have such a high literacy rate,'' she said.

To improve literacy and reading skills, students and their parents attend a dozen two-hour sessions. The workshops are open to all Cimarron students and their parents.

As part of the program, Cimarron students are asked to ``judge books by their cover'' and guess what stories are about based on cover illustrations. After students read the books aloud, they are given the opportunity to illustrate and write their own stories.

The theme for the third workshop was award-winning books.

Maria Medrano attended the event with her children.

``I came so we could practice the language more and learn how to read better,'' Medrano said in Spanish, with her children acting as interpreters.

Medrano's daughter Jennye said that attending the workshops has increased her reading skills and her desire to read for fun. The seventh- grader said her reading scores have jumped an entire grade level.

``I used to be 5.8 (grade level) and now I'm at the 6.8 level,'' she said. ``I started reading more at home.''

Cimarron parent Trena Brual said she attends the workshops to gain the patience to read to her son, fourth-grader D.J.

``My son asked me to (attend) and I wanted to see if it would improve his reading skills, and I wanted to gain the patience to read with him,'' Trena said. ``I've learned a lot. The program is really helpful.''

D.J., who says he likes to read ``chapter'' books and anything with a Harry Potter theme, said he asked his mother to take part in the program ``because it looked like fun.''

``I like to read,'' D.J. said.

The patience for parents to read with their children is a skill Engle says the program aims to increase.

``It educates parents on how to work with their child effectively,'' she said.

For a child to do well in school, the parents, child and school must all form a partnership, Engle said.

``It's a three-legged table,'' she said. ``If one of those legs is missing, the table simply cannot stand. It's all about involvement. Parents who read to their kids have kids who do better academically.''

According to Engle, half the students at Cimarron are bilingual. Most of those are Spanish speakers, but some speak other languages. Subsequently, the Palmdale School District authorized program coordinators to spend up to $5,000 to run the workshops.

Paulette Oculam, a program coordinator and second- and third-grade Cimarron teacher, said the program is particularly helpful for families whose native tongue is something other than English.

``Books introduce them to a different cultural heritage,'' she said.

Engle said she was impressed with the level of dedication shown by the parents attending the workshops.

``Many of these parents are willing to do anything to help their child succeed,'' she said.

To test the success of the inaugural program, Venetz said the coordinators will track the participants' test scores and compare them with past years.

The women said they hope other schools in the district will take note of the students' success and start similar programs for their students.

``We're very pleased to be the first school to do this, and hopefully we'll be a role model for the other schools,'' Venetz said.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Ana Estrada reads to her daughter, Susie, 6, as part of the new program at Cimarron Elementary School.

(2 -- color) Marcy Iniguez, 6, reads to her mother, Flor.

(3) Trena Brual reads with her son, Dejour, 9, at Cimarron Elementary School.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer