Principal Investigators:
Kara Taylor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Urban Teacher Education, School of Education. Taylor Box, Lecturer, Urban Teacher Education, School of Education.
Project Title:
Critically Speaking Turning a Critical Eye to the Science of Reading
Funding Level:
$15000
Abstract:
On May 4th, 2023, Governor Holcomb signed a new state law (HB 1558) that requires school districts (with schools performing under a 70% pass rate on the IREAD standardized test) and teacher education programs to adopt curriculum that aligns with the Science of Reading (chalkbeat). Many elementary schools and teacher education programs already rely on research-based literacy education strategies to inform their instruction; however, this new bill creates an opportunity to reimagine what is already being done. This grant proposal seeks funding for the endeavor of aligning IUI’s School of Education literacy methods courses to marry our schools’ critical DEI mission with the requirements of the law.The courses chosen for this redesign were methods courses that were not funded under previous grants like the Lily Grant. We seek to work with a community partner to create an innovative culturally relevant curriculum, professional development for adjuncts/faculty, and an interactive Canvas page for all literacy methods courses based on the Science of Reading. These new resources will include archived stories, voices, artifacts and experiences documented throughout this project from the communities in which we serve to make theoretical concepts come alive. This project will enhance community partnerships and provide an opportunity to share their expertise and experiences. Students and community partners will co-collaborate on the creation of educative resources for them and about them. This work will have direct implications on the School of Education’s students’ performance on their teacher licensure exam, critical disposition evaluation and overall student readiness to become future educators.
