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Winning the Reading Wars
MTSU’s Literacy Studies Ph.D. program, one of the first in the nation, draws national support in its quest to solve America’s literacy crisis
According to the National Literacy Institute, 21% of U.S. adults are illiterate, while 54% have a literacy comprehension below a sixth-grade level. Those figures combine to rank the United States 36th globally in literacy.
Progress is being made in the Volunteer State. Just last year, Gov. Bill Lee announced that Tennessee students now lead the nation in reading proficiency gains thanks to our state’s “strong K–3rd grade literacy strategy,” grounded in phonics and teacher training, which he introduced in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Lee’s formula aligns with what educators today believe are best practices for improving literacy rates: employing scientifically proven methods of teaching reading while also creating an army of literacy experts who can teach others what they know to be effective.
MTSU’s Literacy Studies Ph.D. program in the College of Education is specifically designed to create those experts. In doing so, it is addressing the shortage of scholars, PreK–12 leaders, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers equipped to bridge the gap between growing research in literacy and educational practice, policy, and professional preparation.
Drawing on faculty from the College of Education, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts, the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program is rapidly developing literacy leaders who can effectively translate research to practitioners—and becoming a national model along the way.
“We are one of the first Ph.D. Literacy Studies programs in the nation,” said Amy Elleman, professor and director of MTSU’s program. “There are a few out there. But they are few and far between. And none have really looked at the literacy issue with our interdisciplinary lens, or really with our focus on translating research to practice in the classroom.”
Research is emerging from the program. But an equal emphasis is placed on teaching doctoral students what works in reading instruction and how to train others.
“As our graduates move into leadership roles, they are positioned to translate research to practice,” Elleman said. “And there aren’t that many doctoral programs doing that work.”
Don’t just take Elleman’s word for it, though. Last year, a large, not-for-profit foundation, which asked not to be identified for this article, discovered MTSU’s program and reached out to the University to request its participation in a grant-funded project.
The anonymous foundation funds programs nationally that are building the pipeline of teacher educators who are deeply knowledgeable about the body of research on reading and can be translators of research to practice. Specifically, the foundation seeks to grow the number and capacity of high-quality doctoral programs in reading (like MTSU’s) across the country and to attract more candidates to those programs.
MTSU received $1 million from this foundation to develop more doctoral students who will graduate and go into high-level leadership positions of change.
Beginning in 2025, the foundation will pay tuition and stipend support for two cohorts of seven new students for four years (their entire education). This will result in an additional 14 high-quality graduates ready to impact literacy education upon graduation.
—Drew Ruble
