UNI teaching model improves literacy learning for children

Teaching students to read can be a complex task. According to the National Reading Panel, teachers need to have a sophisticated understanding of how students learn to read; appropriate interventions for struggling readers; and a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners. That's where the University of Northern Iowa's Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy (PCL) model comes in.
   
 PCL emphasizes several key elements:

• Continuous development of teacher expertise through ongoing intensive professional development
• Ongoing collaboration among teachers, and between teachers and administrators
• A powerful Response-To-Intervention (RTI) approach called the Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIM)
• Literacy coaching as a key leadership position to guide, facilitate, monitor and improve the school change process

UNI's Jacobson Center for Comprehensive Literacy has joined with six other universities in becoming a PCL university training center. More than 15,500 children in 69 Iowa school districts are receiving the benefits of the PCL work during the 2012-13 academic year. The first class of literacy coaches will graduate next month.

Upcoming Events:

April 18, Jacobson Center and Reading Recovery Literacy Academy, Maucker Union

April 19, Reading Recovery and Elementary Literacy Conference, Schindler Education Center

For more information, visit the University Events Coordination website.