AU receives planning grant from Lilly Endowment

Andy Knight, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Jun. 29—ANDERSON — Anderson University's Department of Teacher Education recently received a $75,000 planning grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., a development which will allow the school to expand its use of evidence-based instructional methods, officials said.

Reading education is an area that will be meaningfully addressed with funding from the grant, according to Dr. Katy Sample, associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education. The department uses instructional methods aligned with the Science of Reading in its teacher preparation programs.

"The Department of Teacher Education has consistently prioritized rigorous preparation in reading education for its elementary candidates," Sample said. "Our long-standing reading concentration and, more recently, our status as an approved training site for reading specialists with training in dyslexia provide testimony to this commitment."

According to a news release, the funds will also enable the department to identify changes in programming to strengthen the knowledge and skills of all elementary and special education candidates. AU's goal is to improve students' ability to apply SoR-aligned methods in field experiences and later as classroom teachers.

The university has also announced a partnership with the Benedict Silverman Foundation. In 2012, Benedict Silverman and his wife, Jayne Bentzen, established BSF with a mission to promote excellence and equity in American K-12 public schools by supporting research-based literacy instruction.

In response to COVID learning loss, BSF partnered with higher education institutions to train preservice teachers in two intervention programs, Reading Ready and Reading Go!

BSF will provide online professional development and materials in these interventions to support AU in creating a version of the model founded by CUNY Reading Corps.

"The Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Advancing the Science of Reading initiative and our partnership with the Benedict Silverman Foundation will further support our candidates' mastery of these critical concepts and skills as we strive to prepare elementary and special education teachers who see literacy as a civil right and who acknowledge their responsibility in ensuring it's afforded to all Hoosier children," Sample said.

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