School of Education selected to participate in the N.C. Early Learning and Literacy Impact Coalition

The School of Education has been selected to participate in the N.C. Early Learning and Literacy Impact Coalition through Deans for Impact.

The School of Education has been selected to participate in the N.C. Early Learning and Literacy Impact Coalition through Deans for Impact.

Elon, the only private institution, will join will join the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Western Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University to form the North Carolina Early Learning and Literacy Impact Coalition. The coalition's purpose is to engage leaders in teacher preparation in action-focused discussions about how to improve the preparation of preschool and elementary educators in North Carolina.

The first coalition meeting was held on March 7, 2019. Representatives from the School of Education included: Ann Bullock, dean, Mary Knight-McKenna, associate professor of education, and Marna K. Winter, lecturer and chair of the department of education and wellness.

The North Carolina Early Learning & Literacy Impact Coalition will:

  • explore how to incorporate insights from learning science – particularly around the development of literacy, numeracy, and student agency – into educator-preparation program design;
  • identify opportunities to update and improve state policies related to preschool and elementary educator preparation;
  • consider how you and your faculty might engage in a process to transform your program based on the latest research on evidence-based instruction that leads to student learning; and
  • build relationships with educator preparation experts across the state, learning with and from each other in pursuit of a shared goal of continuous improvement.

Deans for Impact is a national nonprofit that empowers leaders at all levels of educator preparation who are committed to transforming the field and elevating the teaching profession. Deans for Impact has facilitated networked learning experiences with leaders of over 50 institutions across 27 states.

In designing learning experiences, Deans for Impact aims to create inclusive and collaborative spaces that address participants' real problems of practice, and provide concrete examples while recognizing the importance of local context.