AU Receives Advancing the Science of Reading Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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Anderson, Ind. — Anderson University has received a grant of $750,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading (SoR) in Indiana. The grant will support the Department of Teacher Education in improving reading instruction in Indiana.
AU is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities that received grants from Lilly Endowment to support efforts that integrate Science of Reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.
The grant will be used to improve teacher candidates’ mastery of the Science of Reading and increase their skills and confidence in applying SoR-aligned interventions. AU plans to establish an on-site reading clinic to provide virtual tutoring to K-2 students. The grant provides funding to construct the clinic, purchase the required technology, and pay tutors for the next three years.
AU started with five paid tutors under the planning grant and two school partners in fall 2023, and will expand under the implementation grant. The goal is to offer all elementary and special education candidates this opportunity as the initiative grows.
“As a teacher preparation program that earned an A in the recent NCTQ Reading Foundations review, the content of our coursework will not change significantly,” said Dr. Katy Sample, associate professor of education. “However, the science of reading is challenging and complex. Once mastered, skillfully applying that knowledge to respond to the individual needs of students requires supervised practice over time and across students.”
“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 principles to teach reading in their classrooms,” said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education. “We are pleased, therefore, to help Indiana colleges and universities strengthen the use of these research-based principles to teach reading in their teacher preparation programs.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative in 2022. It complements a statewide effort undertaken in 2022 by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to improve reading achievement in K-12 schools by helping current teachers implement Science of Reading-aligned principles in their classrooms. In 2022, the Endowment made a $60 million grant to the IDOE to support that work with school districts and teachers across Indiana.
“When we see how students grow in response to our SoR-aligned instruction, doing anything less isn’t an option,” said Sample. “Increasing our candidates’ confidence and their commitment to the Science of Reading, that’s what I am most excited about.”
Learn more about Anderson University’s Department of Teacher Education online.
Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.