National news outlets are taking a look at Panther Valley Elementary School in Nesquehoning - not for what the school is doing wrong, but for what the school is doing right.

And that’s teaching kids to read.

Sounds like a basic education, but many schools nationwide found students struggling to read with a balanced literacy curriculum.

Panther Valley was among them, said Robert Palazzo, elementary principal, and he answered a survey on a science of reading group.

Science of reading is a movement toward learning which focuses on how children acquire the skills they need to read and spell words, he said.

Students at Panther Valley were doing better with the science of reading approach, and Palazzo shared that story.

The information was being collected by a New York Times reporter, who reached out to Palazzo and included him in a story this month, ‘Kids Can’t Read’: The Revolt That Is Taking on the Education Establishment.

CNN followed with its own report this week, bringing its cameras into the school and talking to Palazzo, teachers and one parent who can attest to the improvement in her daughter’s reading.

Deborah James of Nesquehoning told the Times News her 8-year-old daughter, Dream, struggled to read, cried and didn’t want to go to school at the start of the school year.

The difference is profound, she said.

“She is always walking around with a book,” she said. “When we’re driving, she wants to read the signs. She wants to read my texts.

“I’m texting my girlfriends, and I have to tell them, ‘The reader is here,’?” James said with a laugh.

And Dream’s confidence has improved, too, she said. James hopes the media spotlight on Panther Valley helps other school districts and parents - and lets them know help is there for them and their children.

Superintendent Dave McAndrew Jr. said the national media attention showcases the great job that the teachers and principals are doing.

“We are starting to be on the cutting edge of some of these initiatives,” McAndrew said. “Our goal is to produce readers.”

This year, the school implemented a targeted, 40-minute intervention period, in which students are screened to see which of 15 skills they need to work on, Palazzo said.

The students receive instruction in a specific skill they need to master, which could either be remedial or even advanced, he said.

“You’re getting the instruction that was appropriate for you to move forward in your reading and spelling skills,” Palazzo said, noting that the students are reassessed and rotate to different skills.

And progress could be measured with students’ assessments climbing from 32% on the third-grade level to 57%, he said. First and second grade assessments saw similar jumps, he said.

But it’s not all on the metrics, he said.

“We see it in the confidence of the kids,” Palazzo said. “They want to go to this intervention period, because they feel successful and they want to keep progressing.”

“It’s a jump start for these students for sure,” he said.

Basic reading skills in elementary school also set them up for success as they progress through school - preparing them to read and learn other subjects, such as history and science, Palazzo said.

“We want kids to come to school and want them to feel like they’re successful,” he said. “We want them to keep coming every day, because ultimately, we want our kids to succeed.”

Palazzo also felt it was important to share Panther Valley’s story and the work its teachers do with the rest of the nation.

“We need to show them ... yes, we’re low performing on state assessments, but we continue to work hard to figure out what our students need.”