EUDORA, Kan. (AP) _ A growing number of Kansas schools are using sound amplification systems to help some students get the most out of their classes.

Experts say amplification creates a link between listening and literacy, and enables youngsters hear all the sounds of speech. That helps them become better readers.

Emily Sorensen teaches first grade at Nottingham Elementary School in Eudora. A wireless microphone around her neck sent her voice to a receiver near her desk, then through a speaker in the back of her classroom.

Sorensen said that during the month she used the system, her pupils did better on spelling tests and she didn't have to repeat herself as often to be heard.

One principal said some teachers were skeptical about the devices at first, but none of them wanted to give them up after using them for a while.