Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College has received a $346,307 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI). Funding will support several initiatives ultimately aimed at strengthening literacy in the state.
SMWC is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities receiving grants from Lilly Endowment to support efforts integrating Science of Reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.
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Earlier this year, the Indiana legislature enacted a law with House Bill 1558 that requires Indiana schools to use the five essential elements of literary instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Education Department at SMWC will use the grant to update the College’s curriculum and course materials to align with the requirements of teachers in the field once they graduate. Additionally, the funding will enable SMWC to create multiple professional development graduate-level courses for teachers who are presently in the field.
Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost/executive vice president for academic affairs, appreciates Lilly Endowment Inc.’s investment in education and its assistance to colleges and universities to strengthen their programs. “We are grateful to the Endowment for their investment in this program and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. This grant will allow the College to redesign courses to better align with the science of reading methods for our students as they prepare to teach in the field with these new standards.”
Marcia Miller, Ph.D., interim education department chair, also expressed gratitude to the Endowment for their commitment to education. “This grant will allow the education department to identify and implement curriculum changes to ensure students will be able to implement teaching methods that are in compliance with requirements.”
In a press release announcing the grants, Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education stated, “It is imperative that more of Indiana’s elementary students learn to read proficiently and it is essential that current teachers and the next generation of teachers are prepared to use proven methods to teach reading in their classrooms. We are pleased, therefore, to help Indiana colleges and universities strengthen the use of these research-based methods to teach reading in their teacher preparation programs.”
SMWC offers Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in:
- Kindergarten – Grade 6/Mild
- These graduates have the opportunity to become dual licensed in kindergarten to grade 6 and in early childhood special education.
- Preschool – Grade 3/Mild Intervention
- These graduates have the opportunity to become dual licensed in preschool to grade 3 and in early childhood special education.
- Preschool – Grade 12/Mild Intervention Special Education
To learn more about Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, visit smwc.edu.