UTSA initiative promotes literacy in rural school district

UTSA College of Education and Human Development is providing resources and guidance to teachers in rural Somerset, Texas

( Feb. 10, 2016) – A team of faculty and students with the UTSA College of Education and Human Development is working hard to help a rural school district improve its literacy program.

“Reading is an important part of how children learn not only about their immediate world, but also how they develop the tools to create change in their world,” said Misty Sailors, professor of interdisciplinary learning and teaching, who, with support from UTSA’s La Plaza de Lectura, is leading the “Roadrunner Readers Initiative.” The initiative aims to improve literacy achievement among students in the greater San Antonio metropolitan area. The most recent partnership of the Roadrunner Readers Initiative is with the Somerset Independent School District.

Somerset ISD is located in Somerset, Texas, a small Bexar County town approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio. Since the fall, Sailors, colleague Dennis Davis, UTSA assistant professor of literacy education, and more than a dozen faculty members and students with COEHD have assisted the district in re-shaping the literacy instruction of four schools: Savannah Heights Intermediate, SSG Michael Barrera Veterans Elementary, Somerset Elementary and Early Childhood Elementary.

The partnership focuses on finding solutions to issues identified by stakeholders in the district. UTSA is providing Somerset’s teachers, staff and students with academic support and resources. Somerset’s teachers will also receive professional development opportunities.

“Through this partnership, we’re helping teachers and administrators re-evaluate how they approach their reading and literacy instruction,” Sailors said. “Our work with Somerset ISD is meant to enhance student success by transforming the schools’ approaches to teaching literacy. We feel extremely lucky to be a part of this effort and are heartened that our work has been so readily accepted by the teachers and staff with whom we’re working. In fact, we’re excited about what we can learn from this, too.”

Somerset ISD has begun implementing academically leveled libraries across its participating schools in order to support its efforts in improving its core literacy instruction. The levels were designed under the guidance of UTSA faculty and students as a way to help students and educators gauge each student’s individual needs and successes as they make use of the library.

As part of the partnership, UTSA is providing Somerset ISD with more than 84 specialized literacy kits that the four schools can use as part of their revised reading curricula. The kits include guided reading activities and special books that can serve students of all reading levels. The kits also include discussion activities that can be used in the classroom and internet-accessible resources for students and teachers.

Somerset ISD teachers and administrators are also receiving professional development opportunities from UTSA through workshops, training sessions and direct mentorship by UTSA faculty. Additionally, Sailors, Davis and several UTSA graduate students are fostering innovation in Somerset ISD classrooms by serving as literacy coaches for the students and teachers.

“Thanks to this partnership, we have seen an increase in teacher capacity that has positively impacted student outcomes,” said Saul Hinojosa, Somerset ISD superintendent. “The most exciting aspect of this partnership is the commitment and enthusiasm that has been displayed by teachers, staff and students of both institutions.”

Both UTSA and Somerset ISD are collecting data on the success of the program. The partners will present their findings later this year at the annual meeting of the International Literacy Association.

“This partnership could not have been possible without the support and dedication of stakeholders at every level of the system,” said Kriesti Bunch, Somerset ISD’s chief academic officer and a former UTSA adjunct professor. “I’m so proud that we’ve created such a strong partnership between Somerset ISD and UTSA. The UTSA faculty’s modern approach to teaching has helped us define what an impactful literacy curriculum at Somerset should look like. Our students will ultimately benefit greatly from this partnership.”

The UTSA and Somerset ISD partnership’s shared vision calls for raising the reading achievement of students in the school district, thereby serving as a model of that can be emulated to improve access to quality literacy instruction by students across the state. In late 2015, UT System Chancellor William McRaven outlined his five-year strategic plan. One of the main tenants of the plan was a call to boost literacy rates among elementary school students.

By Jesus Chavez
Public Affairs Specialist

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Learn more about how UTSA is offering assistance in reading and writing to San Antonio area children.

Learn more about the UTSA College of Education and Human Development.

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