Purdue begins work to advance the science of reading with $1.5 million grant

This article about the science of reading. originally appeared on the Purdue University site and is republished here with permission.

Key points:

Purdue University has begun working to improve the reading skills of K-12 students in Indiana by strengthening teacher preparation using science-based methods. The work is funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded to Purdue in August as part of Lilly Endowment's Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative, which launched in 2022.

The science of reading refers to a vast body of research that explores how children learn to read and includes explicit, systematic, and cumulative instructional methods focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing and oral language. Purdue is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities that received grants from the Lilly Endowment to support efforts that integrate the science of reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.

From working with outside consultants to delving into research on the science of reading and surveying alumni about the concepts of the science of reading, faculty at three Purdue system campuses: West Lafayette, Northwest and Fort Wayne — in addition to two schools, the education university and the Faculty of Human and Health Sciences (HHS), are collaborating to bring together their diverse perspectives and elevate the preparation of college literacy teachers.

Six months later, Purdue faculty have already made progress in their initial planning to revamp the curriculum. In early fall, faculty met to review the results of a survey that would allow them to assess how prepared alumni and future teachers felt about literacy. Beyond the survey, the team met with outside consultants and partnered with The Indiana Reading League develop a common understanding of the science of reading and evaluate how this information would take shape in curriculum adjustments.

Purdue's interdisciplinary approach is overseen by Jenna Rickusvice chancellor for teaching and learning, and the grant is co-led by Christy Wessel Powellassociate professor of literacy and director of the Center for Literacy and Language Education and Researchand Catherine (Cammie) McBrideprofessor of human development and family sciences and associate dean for research at HHS. Mary Ann Cahillassociate dean of professional programs and director of the School of Education and Counseling at Purdue Northwest, serves as a campus leader for Purdue Northwest, and Holly Hullinger-Sykenassociate clinical professor of elementary education, serves as Purdue Fort Wayne's campus leader.

“We thank the Lilly Endowment and the state of Indiana for their proactive support of literacy,” said Wessel Powell. “It's vital to have these resources that we can use to improve the way teachers can work with students and know that there is a long-term commitment to these goals.”

Funds are being used for teachers' collaborative efforts to enrich their curriculum through science-based literacy methods in elementary education, special education, and early childhood education. Its work covers five main objectives:

• Refining the science of reading content in courses in Purdue's bachelor's in education programs.
• Create stacked credentials for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as offerings for current faculty.
• Create an online repository of scientific research related to reading and writing.
• Provide professional development to faculty across all Purdue colleges, campuses, and literacy-related programs.
• Build connections with state leadership by providing research-based resources on literacy.

Those working on the grant will continue to meet regularly in the spring to begin the process of restructuring and planning courses that will strengthen the curriculum and better equip future teachers with a deep understanding of the science of reading. This spring, the team will also begin developing professional development workshops for all Purdue faculty involved in teaching reading and writing on Purdue campuses, as well as begin creating an online repository of resources that faculty can access. Consult.

“Ultimately, what we hope is that the courses that are used to train teachers will be better aligned with the science of reading and that teachers will take advantage of all their different skills to be better teachers and help children read better.” . ”McBride said.

Hullinger-Sirken noted that now is an important time to look at literacy, not only because the educational landscape looks different since the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to adapt to the diverse needs of Indiana children.

“A lot has been attributed to post-COVID, but we also know that we have a very diverse population of students in the state of Indiana, and we know that when it comes to literacy, there are many different components that play a role. about how proficient a student can be with their literacy skills,” Hullinger-Sirken said. “It is our responsibility as educators and professionals to ensure that no student lacks those skills and that we are doing our due diligence to provide them. “I think this grant comes at an opportune time because it gives us some of the resources and attention to really focus on that specific goal.”

To meet the needs of Indiana's diverse population, the grant has also brought in faculty like Associate Professor Trish Morita-Mullaney, who specializes in English language learning, to focus on what is distinctive about language learning and literacy for English learners.

The grant's 33 faculty members have experienced the interdisciplinary element of Purdue's work, which many noted has been fruitful in allowing them to share their knowledge and pool resources.

“I really believe that the early childhood component; the development part; and speech, language and hearing sciences teachers and what they can bring to the table make this a more inclusive and ultimately more useful approach to teacher education,” McBride said.

Grace Pigozziassistant professor of elementary and early literacy, explained that in higher education it can be easy to get into a daily routine and become isolated, so the grant opportunity allowed professors to see the ways the Purdue University system works in together and can make a difference in literacy.

“For this opportunity to exist, we had to figure out who we were as an entity and, to me, that has been the most surprising part,” Pigozzi said. “Now, knowing everyone and being able to have these funds to guide us as we do this very difficult work is kind of a comfort.”

As part of the grant, Chenell Loudermillclinical professor at Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, organizes external consultants to fulfill the professional development component. He noted that this offers faculty recipients of the grant the opportunity not only to learn from each other, but also to think innovatively by exploring experience outside the university in areas such as psychology, education, communication sciences and disorders, neuroscience and more.

“The interdisciplinary approach taken by Purdue University is what is needed to advance reading and writing instruction in Indiana,” Loudermill said.

Faculty shared that Purdue contributing to Lilly's initiative to advance the science of reading will allow the university to increase its impact on Indiana children and teachers. This funding from Lilly Endowment and Purdue's work complements a statewide effort by the Indiana Department of Education to improve reading achievement in K-12 schools by helping current teachers implement reading-aligned science principles in their classrooms. .

“We're a land-grant institution, so this is what we have in mind,” Wessel Powell said. “I can see that we have a lot of opportunity to synergize and expand how we impact the entire state.”