Press Releases

November 14, 2006
Black Educators Honor Williams with W.E.B. DuBois Award for Excellence, Service in Higher Education
Boyce C. Williams, longtime educator and advocate for Black students and teachers, received the W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award at the National Alliance of Black School Educators national conference in Orlando, FL

Washington (November 14, 2006) - The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) honored Boyce Courtney Williams, Ph.D., with its W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award in Orlando, FL at its national conference on Saturday, November 11.

Dr. Williams was a graduate student at Michigan State University when she attended her first NABSE meeting in Miami in 1978. “That’s when I joined the ranks of this great and historic organization, said Williams of the nation’s premier association of Black teachers, parents, administrators, professors, and scholars.

"I remember shadowing and following around many of these educators who are now my peers. They were gracious enough then to embrace me and help me realize my dream of improving educational opportunities for Black students through teaching.” But most importantly, Williams said, “NABSE’s community of scholars and education leaders shaped and molded me.

"I am honored to have been nominated and privileged to have been selected for the W.E.B. DuBois Award," said Dr. Williams, Vice President, Institutional Relations at the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the premier teacher preparation accreditation agency in the U.S. At NCATE, Dr. Williams also directs the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN), a $4.5 million grant project funded by the U.S. Department of Education to improve reading instruction in teacher preparation programs at 38 minority-serving institutions.

NABSE’s W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award is bestowed annually upon individuals or organizations that are actively promoting or advocating higher education for African Americans, through research, instruction, funding/scholarships, or guidance and counseling, or who quest for equity and equal opportunity to learn.

"Dr. Williams exemplifies Dr. DuBois’ legacy. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this major award," said Lois Harrison-Jones, Ed.D, past president of NABSE and an NCATE board member.

At NABSE, "we always think of Boyce as someone who is on the cutting edge of issues in both K-12 and in higher education," said Dr. Harrison-Jones, of the School of Education at Howard University. “She is truly someone who we respect for the finesse in which she juggles being a parent, an education professional, and someone who knows how to network and bring communities together.”

Williams, the recipient of several honorary doctorate degrees, is known in the higher education community for her unwavering activism. This year when Stillman College conferred upon her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, President Ernest McNealey called Williams “an outstanding leader, a committed educator, and a community advocate.”

Dr. Williams served as project director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Technical Support Network (HBCU Technical Support Network). She also edited the book Telling Our Story: Reforming Teacher Education through Accreditation which chronicled the work of the HBCU Technical Support Network and the challenges and triumphs that selected teacher preparation programs faced in their pursuit of national accreditation.

Dr. Williams’s commitment to education extends beyond her professional career. As the mother of two college and high school honor students, Dr. Williams has been active in local education initiatives and activities by serving as a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council for Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools and the Model Campus International Baccalaureate Committee.

About NABSE: The nation’s premiere non-profit organization devoted to furthering the academic success for the nation’s children - particularly children of African descent. NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance and overall achievement.

CONTACT:
B. Denise Hawkins, Communications Director
(202) 466-7496


August 24, 2006
In Appreciation: Clinton Bristow Jr.



WASHINGTON - News of Dr. Clinton Bristow Jr’s sudden death on Sat., August 19 shook the RFTEN and higher education communities. Bristow, Alcorn State University’s 11th president, was found dead on a campus track last weekend. Evening jogs were routine for the 57-year-old Bristow who was an avid runner

A funeral service will be held for Bristow at the David L. Whitney Health, Physical Education and Recreation Complex at Alcorn in Alcorn, MS on Friday, August 25 at 10 a.m. But this week, those in the RFTEN community are remembering the energetic and passionate Bristow as a president who not only embraced the mission and goals of the project, but who demonstrated the belief that all on campus are responsible for being teachers of reading. As a member of the RFTEN President’s Task Force, Bristow was an active spokesperson among the project’s 38 college and university presidents.

In a 2004 article he wrote for First Read, the official RFTEN newsletter, Bristow said, “Reading is core to everything we do. For me that means that Alcorn State University cannot have an effective teacher education program without first having strong reading instruction as its foundation.

“To that end, I want to transfer my support for the RFTEN program into measurable results by supporting the efforts of our teachers to improve their students’ reading skills.”

He called the $4.5 million grant project “critical to our institutions and “I am committed to ensuring that participating faculty understand the significance.

“The RFTEN project makes a valuable contribution to future recruiting efforts for institutions of higher learning because it ensures that students graduating from high school possess the reading skills necessary for matriculation to and graduation from college” Bristow wrote.

When it came to Black college presidents, Bristow was like a well; someone you could tap and always rely on, said Dr. Boyce C. Williams, vice president of institutional relations at the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and project director of the RFTEN project. “I admired his great legal mind, his astute business sense and his ability to champion quality education for all children, especially poor and minority children. He will be missed,” Williams said.

At the weekly Alcorn State/RFTEN Tutorial housed on the campus, Bristow was often among the volunteer administrators, faculty, business and community leaders who brought books, props and smiles to local school children in the after school reading program led by preservice teachers. The program was a part of Alcorn’s “communiversity,” a term Bristow coined to describe the bond said needed to be forged between the University and the community.

“Since we became a part of the RFTEN project, Dr. Bristow has always been on board and very supportive of our work in the School of Education and Psychology,” said Dr. Josephine Posey, dean of the School of Education and Psychology. She recalled the time Bristow donned a purple and white (Alcorn State University colors) fur Santa hat the time he came to read Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.

But Posey and the RFTEN faculty team at Alcorn say they will remember the pride that Bristow took in the University being a part of a national, Department of Education -sponsored initiative. “He often used public forums and state and national meetings to highlight RFTEN and the work that we were doing on campus and in the community to improve reading instruction and reading achievement,” Posey added.

Dr. Joe Lee, president of Alabama State University, and a member of the RFTEN Presidents’ Task Force, called Bristow “a man of unmeasured vision and unparalleled courage in his fight for equal treatment of all HBCUs by funding and regulatory agencies.” He told Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine, “I have lost a good friend; and we have lost a giant in higher education.”

Bristow, named president of Alcorn State in 1995, was the Board of Appeals of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Bristow earned a bachelor’s, doctorate and law degrees from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from Governors State University.

To learn more about Alcorn State University or the RFTEN project, visit http://rften.org/user_view_inst_sql.php?&user_institution=3.


August 23, 2006
NCATE Vice President Delivers Keynote Address, Receives Honory Doctorate at Stillman’s 130th Commencement Ceremony



WASHINGTON -- Boyce Courtney Williams, Ph.D., vice president for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and director of the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN), delivered a rousing keynote address for the 130th commencement exercise at Stillman College on May 13.

At NCATE, Williams works with institutions to help ensure smooth and efficient accreditation processes. She serves as liaison between NCATE and 23 of its constituent’s member organizations, such as the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Association of Teacher Educators. Since 2003, Williams has spearheaded a national reading initiative aimed at teacher educators and candidates at 38-minority-serving institutions. The RFTEN project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by NCATE.

“Dr. Williams is a nationally known advocate for innovative, quality teacher preparation programs, especially those infused with scientifically-based reading,” said Ernest McNealey, Ph.D., president of Stillman College, a RFTEN institution. “The 128 graduating students were treated to an exciting challenge from Dr. Williams, the energetic and engaging vice president of NCATE.”

Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education from Lincoln University, a Master of Arts in Urban Counseling and Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology with a cognate in Labor and Industrial Relations degrees from Michigan State University. She also holds several honorary doctorate degrees including the Honorary Doctorate for Public Service and Leadership from Cheyney University; the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University; and most recently the Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

“It was such an honor for me to speak to the graduates and to celebrate with them on their important day as they enter the world of work and careers,” Williams said. But for her, the highlight of the occasion was greeting “the new teachers, shaking their hands as they came across the stage to receive their degrees, and honoring them with certificates from NCATE.”

Stillman, a top-tier Southern liberal arts college, confirmed 128 undergraduate diplomas and three honorary doctorates. Honorary doctorate recipients include Alabama’s senior United States Senator Richard Shelby, the Doctor of Laws degree; Lieutenant General Russell L. Honore`, Commanding General for the Joint Task Force –Katrina, the Doctor of Laws degree; and Otis Williams, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and founder of the Temptations, the Doctor of Humane Letters.

For more information about Stillman, visit: www.stillman.edu or http://rften.org/user_view_inst_sql.php?&user_institution=45


August 1, 2006
RFTEN Consultant Tapped to Lead The Reading Teacher
Perkins is the First African American to Hold IRA Post



J. Helen Perkins, Ed.D, a regular RFTEN presenter and consultant, has been appointed co-editor of The Reading Teacher, the prestigious journal of the International Reading Association (IRA). Perkins, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis, is the first African American to hold the post. Dr. Perkins will begin her five-year term in September which she will serve along with University of Memphis colleague and co-editor, Dr. Robert Cooter Jr.

Classroom teachers make up the majority of the peer-reviewed journal’s more than 60,000 subscribers in the U.S. and in 100 countries. Perkins is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Balanced Reading Instruction, an IRA special interest publication.

As a reading expert, Dr. Perkins has shared her work on urban literacy in a variety of RFTEN faculty training sessions. “The RFTEN experience has been awesome for me. Through the project I’ve been able to forge new and wonderful relationships with faculty at HBCUs and at the other RFTEN institutions,” said Perkins who wants to use her new post to promote publishing and research in reading.

“More books are needed on urban education and literacy and those who are in urban communities, including those in our RFTEN institutions, are well positioned to write those books,” said Perkins who has published several articles, book chapters and a children’s book. She and Dr. Cooter recently co-authored an article in The Reading Teacher titled “Evidence-based Literacy Education and the African American Child.”

At the University of Memphis, Perkins also serves as project director and co-principal investigator of the Memphis Literacy Academy, a federally funded collaboration between the University and Memphis City Schools aimed at enhancing the literacy of urban children. In addition, Dr. Perkins is a writer for Striving Readers, part of a new $16 million grant titled Memphis Content Literacy Academy which targets students in grades 6-8.

“For the past three years,” RFTEN has had the pleasure of working with Dr. Perkins and benefiting from her expertise in reading and in urban education,” said RFTEN Associate Project Director, RoSusan D. Bartee, Ph.D. “She’s an example of intellect, inspiration and innovation. The RFTEN community celebrates her appointment as co-editor of The Reading Teacher.”

Dr. Perkins, a former classroom teacher remembers using articles from The Reading Teacher when she was a new classroom teacher and working as a reading coach. As a third grader, Perkins knew that she desired to be a teacher. “Even then, I wanted to teach everyone to read including my Barbies and the children in my neighborhood,” Perkins recalls. “Teaching has been my aspiration and God has blessed me to see that dream come to fruition.”

By B. Denise Hawkins


April 27, 2006
HU ALUMNA NAMED NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
RFTEN/NCATE Congratulates Kimberly Oliver

WASHINGTON - Kimberly Oliver, a 1998 graduate of Hampton University, a RFTEN/NCATE-accredited institution, was named the National Teacher of the Year by President George W. Bush at a ceremony held at the White House on April 26. Oliver was chosen because of her community focus, teamwork with other teachers, and a desire to see all students succeed.

Oliver, a kindergarten teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., is the 56th national teacher of the year and the first to represent Maryland. She will begin a year as a full-time national and international spokesperson for education on June 1. She certainly has plenty of information and experience to share.

When Oliver came to Broad Acres Elementary School in 2000, the school was in danger of being restructured by the state because of declining academic performance. "By building a professional learning community and emphasizing collaboration, I have impacted the learning of more than 500 students. Through collaborating with others, I helped turn around an underperforming school despite the obstacles of poverty, race, language, and mobility."

In her six years at Broad Acres, she has helped create and implement several programs to ensure consistency in curriculum, instruction, and assessment throughout the school. As a result, her school made improvements on local, state, and national tests, and in 2001 was the number one school in her school system for percentage increases in test scores. In 2003, 2004, and 2005 they met or exceeded all requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

To promote literacy throughout her community, Oliver helps sponsor "Books and Supper Night," an event held four times a year that allows families to visit the school and check out books from the library. They read together, receive free books to continue family reading time at home, and enjoy a communal dinner where they interact with and get to know their neighbors.

“The RFTEN community not only congratulates Kimberly Oliver for being named one of the nation’s best and brightest teachers, but for the creative and compassionate way that she is furthering reading and literacy among families and children in her own backyard,” said Boyce C. Williams, vice president for institutional relations at the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and RFTEN project director.

The National Teacher of the Year Program focuses public attention on teaching excellence and is the oldest and most prestigious awards program for teachers.

"I realized that I adore working with children," Oliver said. "This experience helped to shape many of my beliefs about what children can do if someone believes in them. I knew then that I wanted to motivate and inspire the neediest students whom many have been written off just because of the circumstances they were born into."

Oliver was raised in Wilmington, Del. and is a graduate of William Penn High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in English arts from Hampton University and a master's degree in elementary education from Wilmington College in 2000.

Oliver’s professors at Hampton University remember her as being a very dedicated student. “I recall Kim as an exceptionably able student,” said John Alewynse, chairman of the Hampton University Department of English. “I also recall being struck and somewhat bemused by her commitment to a career in elementary education. However, in just the last few years, it has become generally recognized that that is exactly where we as a country need to put our greatest effort. In retrospect, Kim was already well ahead of the curve.”

Her childhood admiration of a daycare teacher and her college summers spent working at a young children's day camp inspired Oliver to become an educator. Since then, Oliver has devoted her life to building on these experiences, especially the one-on-one relationship forged between that special teacher and herself. With a focus on individualized education and a love of reading, along with tailoring lessons and projects to the needs of individual students, she has been able to profoundly impact her school and neighborhood.

A committee of representatives from 14 national education organizations chooses the national teacher of the year from among the state teachers of the year, including those representing American Samoa, Department of Defense Education Activity, District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information about Kimberly Oliver or Hampton University, please contact:
Yuri Rodgers Milligan
Director of University Relations
Hampton University
Hampton, VA 23668
Phone (757) 727-5253
Fax (757) 728-6941
yuri.milligan@hamptonu.edu

For more information about the Reading First Teacher Education Network, please contact:
B. Denise Hawkins, M.A.
Director of Communications
RFTEN
Phone (202) 466-7496
bdhawkins@ncate.org



February 28, 2006
NCATE’s Boyce C. Williams Receives President’s Service Award from Association of Teacher Educators
Known for Her Leadership, Advocacy and Activism in Higher Education

WASHINGTON - Boyce C. Williams, Ph.D., vice president of institutional relations for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) received the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) President's Service Award. ATE President P. Rudy Mattai presented Dr. Williams with the award at the Association's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, February 21. The award recognizes distinguished service and contributions to ATE and its constituents.

"The honor was well deserved. I'm delighted that I had the opportunity to present Dr. Williams with this service award," said P. Rudy Mattai, ATE president. "The award recognizes her leadership in the area of teacher education and more importantly, her energy and commitment in support of the teaching profession and the Association of Teacher Educators."

At NCATE, the premier teacher preparation accreditation agency in the United States, Williams works closely with institutions to help implement the accreditation process smoothly and efficiently. She also staffs NCATE’s Specialty Areas Studies Board. In addition, Williams directs NCATE’s Reading First Teacher Education Network, a three-year, $4.5 million project funded by the U. S. Department of Education. This national initiative supports the training of teacher educators and teacher candidates at 38 minority-serving institutions in reading, using evidence-based research and instruction.

In the higher education community Williams is known for her unwavering activism. A staunch advocate for minority-serving institutions, Williams served as project director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Technical Support Network (HBCU). In 2000 she edited the book Telling Our Story: Reforming Teacher Education through Accreditation which chronicled the work of the HBCU Technical Support Network and the challenges and triumphs selected teacher education programs at HBCUs faced in their pursuit of national accreditation.

Williams' commitment to education extends beyond her professional career. As the mother of two honor students, Williams has been active in local education initiatives and activities by serving as a member of the Superintendent's Advisory Council for Fairfax County Public Schools and the Model Campus International Baccalaureate Committee.


September 8, 2005
RFTEN Institution in Arkansas Offers Relief for Teacher Candidates Displaced by Katrina
Dr. Calvin Johnson, dean of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a RFTEN institution, announced today that the University of Arkansas System, UAPB, and School of Education will provide education assistance and placements for teacher candidates whose lives and studies have been disrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

"This is a desperate situation and we believe that one of the most immediate and important things we need to do is make sure that our future teachers don't fall behind."

Plans for Relief Efforts:

- Waiving tuition and fees for the fall semester for students who are Arkansas residents and enrolled at the following universities in New Orleans: Xavier University, Dillard University, Southern University-New Orleans, Tulane University, Our Lady of Holy Cross, and the University of New Orleans. Housing is not included.

- Waiving out-of-state tuition for non-Arkansas residents who were attending colleges and universities in the regions impacted by Hurricane Katrina-Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.

"Those teacher candidates who find themselves without a campus will find a welcome mat, tuition assistance, placements, and classes waiting for them at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff," said UAPB Chancellor Dr. Lawrence A. Davis Jr.

For more information, contact Dr. Calvin Johnson at (870) 575-8256.


August 10, 2005
RFTEN President Bids Farewell to Langston University
Dr. Ernest Holloway, who served for 25 years as the president of Langston University, retired. In a farewell letter to the campus, Holloway, said, "my opportunity to serve you as the 14th President has been rewarding and humbling as we watch students come as they are, but with ‘tough love' along with quality teaching and learning, graduate well prepared to go from dear Langston to the world."

Dr. JoAnn Haysbert succeeds Holloway.

Langston University, Oklahoma's only Historically Black University, came into being in the era of segregation, but in a recent interview, Holloway told the Associated Press, "the need for it and other universities like it is more pressing than ever."

"If there were no Black colleges in 2005, we'd probably need to create them," said Holloway, a 1952 graduate of Langston. He added that Black colleges serve as a second chance for Black students who have been overlooked in primary and secondary school.

Holloway, who will serve as President-Emeritus of Langston, has been an active member of a president's advisory committee for the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN). Langston University was among the first cohort of 25 minority-serving institutions selected in 2004 to participate in RFTEN, the U.S. Department of Education grant designed to strengthen teacher preparation in reading using scientifically-based reading research and instruction. The project is now in its second year.

"Dr. Holloway has been a staunch supporter of teacher education and has been a longtime champion of educational access and equality for all children." He has also been a personal supporter of mine since I began working in higher education," said Dr. Boyce C. Williams, RFTEN Project Director and Vice President of Institutional Relations at the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education which administers the grant.


June 10, 2005
Fostering Literacy among Native American Children is Focus of Summer Reading Institute: Teachers and Parents Will Receive Training in Effective Reading Instruction
WASHINGTON DC - Increasing the reading proficiency of Native American children on the nation's second largest Reservation is the goal of a two-week summer reading institute.

The Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN) Summer Reading Institute will bring together more than 60 elementary school teachers and parents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Kyle, SD June 13-23. Teachers and administrators from each Pine Ridge area school, including the Porcupine School, will be among the educators participating in the training sessions at the Pahin Sinte College Center. The Reading Institute, hosted by the Oglala Lakota College Education Department, will offer teachers skills needed to enhance classroom reading instruction using scientifically-based reading research or SBRR. Fundamentally, SBRR means using reliable evidence to make decisions about how to best deliver reading instruction. This research strategy creates a basis for classroom instruction, professional development, and assessment.

Event organizers say they also want to empower parents to support their children in learning to read and write. "Oglala Lakota College (OLC) was asked by the Pine Ridge area schools to provide further support and guidance to assist teachers in developing a knowledge base about scientifically-based reading instruction and the skills necessary to apply effective instructional practices," said Art W. Fisher, dean of the (OLC) Education Department.

In addition, Fisher said, the RFTEN Reading Institute will offer parents simple but powerful ways to support their children in learning to read and write. "We recognize that parents are their children's first and most important teachers. And we know that when parents and families work together to support learning, everyone benefits." Less than 45 percent of the teachers on the Pine Ridge Reservation are Native American while the school population is 98 percent Native American, primarily Lakota, said Fisher, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a graduate of Oglala Lakota College.

"Oglala Lakota College has demonstrated its commitment to embracing and disseminating information about scientifically-based reading not only through its work with teachers but with parents, and the larger community it serves," said Dr. Boyce Williams, RFTEN project director. "We are delighted to support and be a part of this Summer Reading Institute which will provide a rich cultural experience, be a force for empowerment, and serve as a catalyst for instilling a love of reading and writing in Native American children."

Presenters will include education, literacy and linguistic experts Stephanie Charging Eagle, Shannon Amiotte, and Terri Bissonette of Oglala Lakota College; Dr. Peggy McCardle of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Treopia Washington of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and Erica Simon of the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts at the University of Texas in Austin.

Oglala Lakota College is one of 31 minority-serving institutions participating in the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN), a national project promoting professional development in scientifically-based reading instruction at selected Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and at Hispanic-serving Institutions. The U.S. Department of Education in 2003 awarded the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) a three-year, $4.5 million grant to train reading faculty in scientifically-based reading instruction at these institutions with the goal of raising P-12 student achievement in reading. NCATE is recognized as a specialized accrediting body for teacher preparation in the United States by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and accredits 550 colleges of education that produce two-thirds of the nation's teacher graduates annually.

Funding for the Summer Reading Institute is provided by the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN) project. The RFTEN project is supported by partnerships with the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development; and the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts at the University of Texas College of Education in Austin.

May 6, 2005
Application Process Closes for Funding, RFPs
The deadline for existing institutions to apply for additional project funding was April 29, and RFTEN is no longer accepting applications. The application process for joining the RFTEN project has also closed. Thank you for your interest in the RFTEN project.

March 16, 2005
RFTEN Intoduces RFPs
RFTEN introduced Request for Proposals (RFP) to select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges interested in improving the capacity of teacher preparation programs to prepare highly qualified educators to teach reading to P-3 students.

RFTEN will select participating institutions based on the following criteria:

Productivity/Programs Offered

Quality of the faculty

Institutional Profile

Commitment

State /Regional Benchmarks

Impact on Underrepresented Populations

Download a copy of the RFP. Please contact Dr. RoSusan D. Bartee, Associate Project Director, via telephone (202)466-7496 or e-mail RoSusan@ncate.org.

February 12, 2004
Twenty-One College Presidents Affirm Support for Reading First Teacher Preparation Initiative
Washington, D.C.-Twenty-one college presidents of minority-serving institutions gathered at the National Institutes of Health on February 2 to affirm their support for the Reading First Teacher Education Network (RFTEN), a U.S. Department of Education grant project designed to help teacher educators and future teachers at those institutions teach reading using scientifically proven instructional strategies. The group of presidents serves as an advisory committee for the project.

To achieve the goal of increased implementation of scientifically-based reading instruction, the Network will train over 100 faculty from 25 primarily minority-serving institutions over a three-year period. In addition to training faculty, the project will involve deans and presidents of the institutions to help ensure that the training is instantiated at the institutions and that change takes place in the way reading instruction is delivered, with the ultimate goal of improving P-12 student achievement in reading. The project will be evaluated to determine whether teacher candidates are using the research-derived strategies with the students they teach during student teaching/internship experiences. If project results warrant, the project scale could be increased dramatically through legislative/regulatory measures.

The project grantee, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, is working in collaboration with the University of Texas' Reading and Language Arts Higher Education Collaborative, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the U. S. Department of Education. Twenty-five institutions are involved in the project.

Dr. Norman Francis, President of Xavier University, opened the meeting. Francis noted that the RFTEN project would "strengthen teacher preparation in reading at many institutions, and even more importantly, strengthen the skills of future teachers who will teach thousands of children."

Jo Ann Jenkins, Library of Congress Chief of Staff, said that the Library would work with the RFTEN project which she believes is "a model" to increase P-12 student achievement in reading.

Dr. Reid Lyon, Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), was a keynote speaker at the conference. He serves as the NICHHD researcher for the project. Lyon provided an overview of scientifically-based reading research and a summary of 'what works' in reading instruction, especially with at-risk children. Lyon said that "the support of these institutional leaders is crucial to the success of this project. I am thrilled to be part of an effort that will improve the lives of children." Dr. Boyce Williams, RFTEN Project Director and Vice President of Institutional Relations at NCATE, moderated the conference. Williams said, "more than half (53 percent) of the African Americans teaching in public schools today earned their bachelor's degrees at historically black colleges and universities. It is critical that teachers coming from these institutions and other primarily minority-serving institutions have the necessary knowledge and skills to teach P-12 students to read and succeed at higher levels." NCATE is recognized as a specialized accrediting body for teacher preparation in the United States by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and currently accredits 562 colleges of education that produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates annually.


November 2003
USDOE Awards $4.5 Million Grant to NCATE to Strengthen Teacher Preparation in Reading at Minority-Serving Institutions
Reading First Teacher Preparation Network Will Provide Training to Reading Faculty
Washington, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Education has awarded NCATE a $4.5 million grant to support implementation of scientifically-based reading research and instruction at primarily minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges, with the goal of raising P-12 student achievement in reading. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced the project, the Reading First Teacher Preparation Network, during his keynote address on September 15 at the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) annual conference. Secretary Paige noted that "reading professors from 25 institutions will participate in the best training available on scientifically-based reading instruction....As the nation looks to quality teachers in reading, let them look to HBCUs." NCATE President Arthur E. Wise says, "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to provide quality professional development to further strengthen teacher preparation at minority-serving institutions."

Boyce Williams, vice president for institutional relations at NCATE, and project director, says "more than half (53 percent) of the African Americans teaching in public schools today earned their bachelor's degrees at historically black colleges and universities. It is critical that teachers coming from these institutions and other primarily minority-serving institutions have the necessary knowledge and skills to teach P-12 students to read and succeed at higher levels." To achieve the project goal of increased implementation of scientifically-based reading instruction, the Network will train approximately 40 faculty from about 25 primarily minority-serving institutions the first year, 60 the second year, and 30 the third year. After the first-year participants have been trained, institutions will conduct a needs assessment to determine gaps in reading instruction. They will work with consultants to modify their reading instruction to ensure that it is built on scientifically-based reading research. The University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts Higher Education Collaborative (UTCRLA/HEC), subcontractor to NCATE on the project, along with experts from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), will conduct the training. NCATE will contract with participating institutions to help build capacity, and will work with deans and presidents to ensure that benchmarks for progress are set and achieved.

NCATE will help the institutions plan and deliver professional development for reading faculty, ensure that the learning from the training is extended to other faculty responsible for preparation of pre-service teachers, help the institutions align the reading program with NCATE accreditation standards, and document teacher candidate licensure outcomes. NCATE will also work with testing companies and states on ways to assess what candidates know about reading research and instruction. NCATE and UTCRLA/HEC will evaluate the result of the project by evaluating changes in the institutions' reading instruction and preparation of candidates, and pre-and post-tests of P-12 students with whom candidates are working, as well as evaluating candidate licensing examination scores and other measures. NCATE is recognized as a specialized accrediting body for teacher preparation in the United States by the U. S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and accredits 550 colleges of education that produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates annually.