University of Akron receives $950,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education

The University of Akron has received $950,000 in funding from the Ohio Department of higher Education in order to create its new Center for Structured Literacy. 

According to an article on the University of Akron’s website, Lisa Lenhart, who is the director of the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted as saying, “The LJFF School of Education is excited for the opportunity to establish a Center for Structured Literacy. The Center will have a profound impact on our mission to empower undergraduate students in the teaching of reading. By equipping future educators with the tools to become exemplary reading teachers, we are not only investing in their professional development, but also contributing to a brighter future for the students they will teach. This grant underscores our commitment to fostering literacy and educational excellence, and our team is eager to embark on this journey to shape the future of education, creating a ripple effect of positive change in classrooms and communities.”

The Center for Structured Literacy is intended to serve many purposes, including becoming an International Dyslexia Association Center, of which it would be the first in Ohio, and teach educators how to provide proper intervention for students with dyslexia. One mission of the center will be to translate research on reading and literacy instruction to better equip educators with tools to teach literacy and understand the science of reading and to be able to better educate their students.

For more information about the University of Akron, visit the school’s website.