A little town decided to build a playground for children on some land. The problem, however, was that the land was on the edge of a cliff. Because of the danger, the local school board debated what to do…Should they put a fence around the playground? Or should they have an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff?

The allegory above is from Sold A Story, Emily Hanford's award-winning podcast. Recently, APM released three new episodes. (And although I will summarize key points below, if you are not familiar with the Sold A Story podcast, I strongly encourage you to listen to it.)

When the first episode came out in 2022, I was new to Horizon Academy, having just begun my second year. Most of my background knowledge at that point came from my experiences at my previous schools (I have taught in public, parochial, independent, and charter schools). Practices that aligned with the Science of Reading were known; however, none of these schools consistently aligned with these practices. It was a great source of frustration for me, ultimately leading me to Horizon Academy. Hearing this podcast filled me with rage, sadness, and despair, as it did for millions of others who tuned in. I remember at the Reading League conference in 2023, when Emily Hanford appeared on a large screen at the introduction of the conference, the entire auditorium stood up, clapping, cheering, screaming, and many of us were tearing up. It was then that I fully realized the importance and impact of Hanford’s podcast.

As a teacher and reading specialist, listening to these new episodes is still frustrating, nearly four years later. However, this time, they hit differently: I feel affirmed and hopeful. Although it is unfortunately still rare to find schools that work as they should in terms of literacy instruction, Horizon Academy is a school that I can proudly say practices the very things that were mentioned as key factors in making up one of the most successful schools in the country.

The recent episodes of the podcast highlight a school district in Steubenville, Ohio, as a true success story for literacy, despite numerous odds and systemic barriers within both the government and the educational system.

As I listened, I started to think…What can Horizon Academy learn from Steubenville? What is the same? What is different? 

Here are some of the ways that Horizon Academy, like Steubenville, is unique and successful in helping students learn to read.

• Success for All (the program used at Steubenville) is applied more as an overall approach than a specific reading program, much like Orton-Gillingham is an approach to teaching (rather than a packaged program or scripted curriculum) at Horizon Academy.
• Both Steubenville and Horizon Academy staff members trust their leaders, enjoy relatively low turnover rates, work diligently, and share a collective sense of purpose. 

• All staff members in Steubenville teach reading. Similarly, nearly every staff member at Horizon Academy teaches at least one section of reading or math.
• Both have highly trained staff. The professional development and training we receive at Horizon Academy is unparalleled anywhere I have ever experienced.
• Both have small class sizes, particularly in reading instruction. I believe they said Steubenville class sizes could be as small as six; Horizon Academy’s daily one-hour reading groups’ average is three.
• Instruction is student data-driven, and approaches and/or curriculum (Orton-Gillingham, Multisensory Math, The Writing Revolution) are research-based at both schools.
• Staff are not only trained in how to teach students to read, but also how students learn. 
• Both schools have a particular focus on syntactical awareness and development at an early age.
• Strong student attendance.
• Lots and lots of practice!

Here are some ways Horizon Academy differs from Steubenville.

• Steubenville is a public school. We are an independent school for students with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and we serve as a transition school. Our students’ academic needs were not met at their previous school, sometimes for years. Because of this, we have only a few years to help each of our students reach their academic goals, regardless of their previous school, learning background, age, grade, etc. 
• We do not have students who qualify for free or reduced lunch; A majority of Steubenville’s student body does.
• We do not teach initial letters by sound only, as Steubenville does. We teach both the name and the sound of the letter.
• They have a preschool. We do not. However, we do have a kindergarten.
• They train community members and high school students to serve as tutors for children who require additional remediation. We do not need to, as our interventionists’ intensive O-G training meets student needs effectively.
• We have more specialized training. All our staff hold some level of certification with the Orton-Gillingham Academy, as well as training in Multisensory Math and The Writing Revolution. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is the gold standard in teaching students with dyslexia how to read. There are only 17 Orton-Gillingham Academy accredited schools in the country, and Horizon Academy is the only one west of the Mississippi River.

What can we learn from Steubenville? 

• Steubenville utilizes a great deal of student collaboration and cooperative learning opportunities, so we as a staff will seek to expand on that model more.
• Steubenville trains people in the community to help some of their students. We do offer training, but it is expensive and time-consuming. We also do not have the problem of enough qualified staff like Steubenville.
• Horizon Academy's student body is largely white with middle-to-high socioeconomic status, so we are trying to create opportunities that encourage a more diverse student body and affordable education for more people.

Fortunately, one of my favorite things about Horizon Academy is that we are constantly learning, questioning, growing, and evolving. Education is continuously changing, and with new information and research emerging every year, schools have a choice: Repeat the same things year after year or evolve for the benefit of students. Although it can be exhausting at times, Horizon Academy staff always choose to push themselves outside their comfort zones to become more knowledgeable and better trained for their students. Horizon Academy’s greatest strength is arguably its constant evolution as a school, which also makes it an anomaly in education. 

Horizon Academy and Steubenville both share a common vision in providing kids with the very best education, which we know begins by ensuring that kids become strong, independent readers and thinkers. By following the science and research, both Steubenville and Horizon Academy are actively choosing to do what works for kids. 

Horizon Academy and Steubenville have put a fence around the playground, while the general education landscape still largely operates on the idea that it is better to have an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

Teri Truog

Instructional Practices & Executive Function Coach at Horizon Academy

https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story

Sold a Story on Spotify

www.horizon-academy.com