Dr. Jimmy Littlefield retired as the Spartanburg County Schools District One Supt. at the end of last year, but awards recognizing his work for District One keep coming.
The Reading Recovery Council of North American recently presented its Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Award to Littlefield. The award recognizes work to promote literacy at an early age.
Littlefield, who was named the top superintendent in South Carolina in 2008, was one of only two recipients for the Reading Recovery award in the country.
District One officials say Littlefield was instrumental in starting the districts Reading Recovery program in 1991.
The program provides one-on-one instruction to first grade students to help them perform at grade level. Littlefield emphasizes that the district would face more work in future grades if students dont receive the help they need early.
The district previously received a District Literacy Spot Award from the South Carolina Reading Recovery Council, which said District One not only promotes literacy at an early age, but across all grades. District Ones program has been coordinated with Reading Recovery teacher leaders, who have trained 39 Reading Recovery teachers in the district.
Littlefield said the national award recognizes the work of teachers in the district who are “doing Reading Recovery right.”