In Raymond Elementary School’s pre-kindergarten classroom, boys and girls huddled together on a rug with their teacher to learn a foundational skill for reading and spelling: how to pull apart and put together letter sounds that make words. “Zzz-oo,” the teacher sounded out to the children. “Ay-t. Sss-igh.” “Zoo,” the kids responded in near unison. “Ate. Sigh.” The students were working through a pilot program, Sounds of Success, authored by Kirsten Chansky, an instructional coach for Regional