'Reading Rooster' offers vibrant video book ideas

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — During her 50 years of literacy work in South Carolina, Helen Fellers has been a storyteller, bookmobile driver and branch librarian in the effort to get children to read. Now the 79-year-old uses You Tube videos to put her vibrant-for-books persona on display with "Reading Rooster" book recommendations for children, teachers and librarians.

With a luscious Southern accent and more than a dollop of dramatic flair, Fellers declares books "scrumptious," ''delicious," or "A find for fairy tale fans."

Sometimes she dons a feathered mask, colorful coats or fringed capes to deliver her three-minute, twice-monthly book reviews, always accompanied by one or more of her beloved...

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Jennings offers hope for troubled school districts

JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — It wasn't long ago that the Jennings School District in north St. Louis County was on the verge of losing accreditation, following in the footsteps of neighboring Normandy and Riverview Gardens districts. Instead, Jennings is in the midst of a turnaround.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/18l7GPV ) reports that parents are more involved, attendance is up, test scores are rising and discipline problems are on the decline in Jennings.

Many credit superintendent Tiffany Anderson, who cut underperforming teachers and principals and hired about 30 new teachers. She also reduced central office staff to free up money for classrooms and extended the school year for students in an...

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