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| Testimonials / Stories |
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Success Stories |
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The stories below tell of students overcoming adversity by learning to read using the Wilson programs. They are submitted by Wilson trainers, teachers, administrators, parents, and the students themselves. |
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Woman’s Determination Leads Her to College Despite Doubts |
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“In my early school years, I was an average student. Then, as a sixth grader and in the midst of unbearable teasing, I was placed in a special education class and remained there throughout middle and high school. I thought it was the worst day of my life, but it was topped when one of my special education teachers decided to tell our class that we would not be capable of going to college. When I graduated, I decided that the only thing to do would be to prove the teacher wrong….”
Click here to continue Tracy Johnson’s story in text and video. |
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Wilson Around the Globe |
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Qatar, a small country in the Middle East, boasts the world’s third largest natural gas reserve. Self-designated as the education center of the Arab world, Education City (an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development) aims to be the center of educational excellence in the region. Last year Reading Specialist Lydia Kepich guided The Learning Center School in Education City in their adoption of WRS and Fundations.
To learn more about Qatar, click here. |
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Hannah Fuchs: Wilson Reading System Graduate |
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Hannah Fuchs, a former homeschool student from Illinois, recently celebrated her completion of step 12—the last—of the Wilson Reading System. Her tutor, Bev Menken, asked Hannah and her mother Jennifer to tell their story so that others could be inspired. Bev tutored Hannah once a week while her mom taught more Wilson lessons at home. The teamwork paid off! To read their story, as told by Hannah’s mother, click here. |
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Testimonials |
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The following entries demonstrate the effectiveness of the Wilson programs when implemented in various education settings across the country. |
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Ninth Grader Sings Praises of Just Words Program |
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Samantha Ray details her experience using the Just Words program and recommends it for future high school students. Click here to read more. |
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Students Pay Tribute to Wilson with a Rap Song |
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Calling themselves "The Wilson Kids," six students, with the help of reading teacher Ms. Eisele-Cooper and music teacher Mr. Owens, wrote the "Wilson Rap Song." Click here to listen to a sound clip. |
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Letters |
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The letters below are written to Barbara Wilson from grateful teachers, parents, and students. |
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A Wilson Reading System Student’s Letter |
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Jaime Gilbert, a Wilson Reading System student, thanks Barbara Wilson for the WRS program and for giving her a new lease on life. To read Jaime’s letter, click here. |
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Wilson® in the News |
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Click on the links for news articles and radio features about Wilson Language Training, its programs, and its students. |
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New Jersey Education Law Inspired by WRS Student Samantha Ravelli |
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Ocean City Girl Testifies for Education Bill |
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Imagine not being able to read, just looking at words on a page and having them appear as an unfamiliar, alien alphabet. That was what Samantha Ravelli saw years ago, before a reading program taught her to read. To read more about Samantha’s crusade to help other dyslexic students, click here. (Ocean City Sentinel, November 20, 2008) To visit Samantha’s website and blog, click here. |
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Girl’s Wish: N.J. Study of Reading Disorders |
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The stuff on Samantha Ravelli’s holiday wish list was pretty much standard fare for a 12-year-old. A digital camera, a watch, a laptop. Her number-one wish, however, was in a class of its own. She wants Governor Corzine to sign her bill. To read more about how Samantha is working hard to promote a reading task force, click here. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 27, 2009) |
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New Jersey Law Creates Reading Disabilities Task Force |
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New Jersey's acting Gov. Stephen Sweeney signed into law a measure that creates a 13-member task force to determine the best ways to diagnose, treat, and educate students who have special needs that cause them to struggle with reading. Proponents note that 85% of the state's students in special education struggle with language or reading. The measure was inspired by New Jersey student Samantha Ravelli, who overcame severe dyslexia with the help of specialized reading classes. To read more about the N.J. measure, click here. (NJ.com/The Associated Press, January 17, 2010) |
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Public School 380: Brooklyn, New York |
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Public School 380 is an elementary school of 493 students located in Brooklyn, New York. While the elementary school was performing better than most schools in 2005-2006, there was still a high referral rate to special education and several students were not meeting learning standards. The leadership was determined and committed to address the needs of these students. To read more about PS 380, click here. (RTI Action Network)
Print and share this story. Click here |
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Wilson Goes Green |
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Reading, Writing and Sustainable Development |
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Solving the problem of how to pay for air conditioning has propelled Wilson Language Training into an unexpected spotlight for something beyond Barbara Wilson’s renowned reading instruction. When installed, its rooftop solar panel system was the largest to receive funding from the state’s Commonwealth Solar rebate program. To read more about Wilson’s rooftop solar panel system, click here. (Worcester Business Journal, September 28, 2009) |
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Off the Grid: Wilson Taps into the Power of the Sun |
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Edward J. Wilson smiled as the sun shone down on his 41.2 million, 714-solar-panel array at Wilson Language Training headquarters. To read more about how Wilson Language Training launched its solar power system, click here. (Auburn/Oxford Flash, May 28, 2009) |
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Local Learning Company Unveils New Solar Facility |
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With alternative energy sources being looked into by companies all over the state for its benefits to the environment, Wilson Language Training has brought solar energy into its newest building on Old Webster Road. To read more about Wilson’s solar energy initiative, click here. (Webster Times, May 22, 2009) |
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Seeing the Light—Businesses Find Payback in Going Green |
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In Oxford, Wilson Language Training installed 714 solar panels on top of its materials distribution center to produce 139 kilowatts of energy, and received a Commonwealth Solar rebate. The solar panels, which were installed by Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., will equal a 22 percent savings—an estimated $19,000 annually—in the building’s energy bill. To read more about WLT and other businesses who are 'going green,' click here. (News.telegram.com, May 21, 2009) |
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Administrators Work Together to Create a First Response to RTI |
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The nation and state are abuzz about Response to Intervention (RTI), a systematic means to identify, support, and monitor students at risk for academic difficulty. To read more about how one school district is working to implement an RTI policy across disciplines, click here. (The Journal, March 2009) |
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Help for Struggling Readers in High School |
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Principal Sharon Olken and Reading Specialist Marlies McCallum of Gateway High School in San Francisco, CA, describe a comprehensive approach for identifying student needs and providing interventions using the Wilson Reading System (WRS). To listen to this interview, click here. (Doing What Works, February 2009) |
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Reading More than Just Between the Lines |
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Laura Seaholm, a Clayton resident and retiree from Bank of America, now has a job she loves that directly affects the people she helps—teaching adults to read as program manager for Project Second Chance. Laura and the other tutors at Project Second Chance use the Wilson Reading System because of its visual, auditory, and tactile exercises. To read more about Project Second Chance, click here. (Clayton Pioneer, October 20, 2008) |
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Haverhill Man Learned to Read at Age 42 in Successful Program |
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A little more than two years ago, Joseph Rutkauskas read at about a third-grade level and had a hard time spelling words such as "shed," "jam," or "link." Today, he reads at a high-school level. To read Joseph’s story, click here. (The Eagle Tribune Online, September 22, 2008) |
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Remedial Instruction Rewires Dyslexic Brains, Provides Lasting Results, Study Shows |
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A new Carnegie Mellon University brain imaging study of dyslexic students and other poor readers shows that the brain can permanently rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. To read more about the study, click here. (Science Daily, August 7, 2008) |
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Wilson Reading System Featured on NPR |
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Beth Fertig reports on how New York City Schools adopted Wilson Reading System in 2007 to help tens of thousands of kids struggling with reading. To listen, click here. (NPR, January 8, 2007) |
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