Southern University and A&M College (Louisiana)

In our program, we want our candidates to understand how important it is for each child in their care to learn to read. Through course work and teaching experiences, our goal is to shift our pre-service teachers’ mindsets about reading instruction. In addition to understanding and being able to teach foundational reading skills and literacy strategies, we also want our candidates to understand the importance of creating what McEwan (2009) calls “a reading culture” in which children learn to read, read to learn, and read for fun.

We help candidates as they strive to provide whole group instruction, differentiated instruction, prevention, and intervention. Throughout the program, our pre-service teachers leverage high-quality instructional materials in their courses, during field-based teaching experiences, and during the one-year teacher residency. Literacy is at the center of our methods courses, and we work with our candidates and partner schools to ensure that what we do aligns with evidence-based and culturally relevant practices that contribute to equitable educational experiences for the children of our communities.

Dr. Erin Scott-Stewart
Assistant Professor, School of Education
Southern University and A&M College