The Leading on Literacy Review recommends foundational shifts in how teachers are prepared at the 14 undergraduate teacher preparation programs in the University of North Carolina System.
Thirty-seven percent of North Carolina’s public school teachers are graduates of the UNC System, and their students generally have higher achievement compared with teachers prepared elsewhere. Still, the report found core areas for improvement, considering the variations in performance across the institutions and the fact that too many students across NC are not receiving access to high quality teachers.
Recommendations from the review include:
1. Increase the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies for literacy instruction
2. Earlier and more frequent hands-on, student teaching experiences for teacher candidates
3. Consistent incorporation of state content standards into instruction
A statewide advisory board has been convened to chart the path forward, based on the review’s recommendations.
“Effective teachers are the foundation upon which school improvement efforts rest. The success of recent state-level reforms and investments designed to boost third-grade literacy will depend in large part on the quality of the teachers charged with implementing them.„
Leading on Literacy: Challenges and Opportunities in Teacher Preparation Across the University of North Carolina System
February 2018
Authored by: Beth Ann Bryan, Martha Hougen, and Karen Nelson
In 2017, The Belk Foundation invested $120,000 for the Leading on Literacy review.