George Pawlas's
PR for PRincipals...

Start a
"Super Reader" Program

Many schools have created excellent programs to recognize students for their outside-of-school reading. The Super Reader Program was one I used as a principal. It was a pretty simple homegrown program.

As students read library books at home, they recorded the titles on a "Super Reader" tally sheet. When a prescribed number of books were read (usually ten), the parent signed the sheet and returned it to the school. In return, the student received a "Super Reader" iron-on to add to his or her school T-shirt or any other shirt.

After a student returned the first tally sheet, another was given for the next prescribed number of books to be recorded. For each additional completed sheet turned in the student would receive a star to iron on.

At the school where this program was used, all students and adults wore their school "spirit shirts" each Wednesday. We could tell how much outside reading students were doing simply by looking at the shirts they wore. This was an excellent opportunity for all the adults in our school to recognize our truly super readers, and to encourage others to keep up the good work.

This Super Reader program enhanced school spirit and improved students' reading skills. It was so gratifying to see students wearing their shirts on shopping trips with their parents too. The community could see we were promoting and recognizing the reading of good books.

Read more practical tips from George Pawlas

• Share the Pride: Six "Pride Statements" Get Year Off to a Great Start
• Getting the Most Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Newsletters: An Essential Tool for Every Principal
• Building Positive Relationships With the Media
• The Benefits of Being an MBWA Principal
• More Tips for Great Newsletters
• 50 Million Students Can't Be Wrong: Improving Perceptions of Your School
• Support Personnel Are P.R. People Too
• Create a School Profile Brochure