Speed Reading at Kennedy High School
Chicago, IL – January 14, 2008 – Last December, Kennedy High School in coordination with the Iris Organization offered speed reading workshops to help students prepare for the ACT exam. Over 60 students participated in the Iris Reading Program, most of them juniors.
According to the Iris Organization, most high school students have trouble finishing the ACT reading exam because they run out of time. “If we can help students read a little faster, they’ll answer more questions and will most likely get a higher score,” said Paul Nowak, an instructor with the Iris Organization.
Evelyn Wood first popularized speed reading in the 1960′s and is famous for teaching John F. Kennedy to speed read. Until the late 1990′s, her classes were frequently taught at college campuses throughout the U.S. She passed away in 1995 at the age of 86.
“We’re trying to pick up where Evelyn Wood left off,” said Nowak. “We’ve refined the original techniques to make them more applicable for today’s high school student. In addition to reading their textbooks faster, we teach students to read faster on the computer screen using a newly developed technology called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP).”
The Iris Organization is currently working with a number of Chicago public high schools to help other students make similar improvements in their reading speed and comprehension. Programs have also been implemented at college campuses locally and throughout the U.S. and at companies based in the U.S. and abroad, including Lehman Brothers, a Wall Street investment bank, and HSBC, Europe’s largest bank.
Kennedy high school plans to offer the reading program to more students in the coming months to help them prepare for college and boost their standardized reading test scores.
About the Iris Organization
The Iris Organization helps students and professionals learn to speed reading skills to help them save more time and be more productive. Workshops and classes have been taught on college and universities throughout the U.S. The Iris Organization has also worked with the Chicago Public Schools to help high school students prepare for college and standardized tests. Corporate training workshops have also been provided to business executives at companies that include Lehman Brothers, HSBC and Ariel Capital Management. For more information call 312-402-4747 or visit www.irisreading.com.
