Sen. Roberts visits KU-CRL

Friday, June 04, 2010

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) visited the University of Kansas to learn about the adolescent literacy work of the Center for Research on Learning.

Sen. Roberts spent an hour listening to representatives of KU, CRL, and the School of Education describe our efforts to improve literacy. Don Deshler, the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the Center for Research on Learning, led the discussion, a follow-up to Don’s testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Sen. Roberts is a member of that committee.

Rick Ginsberg, dean of KU’s School of Education, and Joshua L. Rosenbloom, associate vice provost for research and graduate studies and professor of economics, welcomed the senator and introduced participants in the round table discussion.

Janis Bulgren, KU-CRL associate research professor, described the challenges associated with adolescent literacy, including recent findings that 70 percent of adolescents read below the proficient level. Mike Hock, KU-CRL associate director, introduced a video montage showing students in the Kansas City, Kan., school district who have achieved success after completing a Fusion Reading course.

A trio of educators who have worked with KU-CRL materials in classrooms shared their success stories with the senator. Shelly Bolejack, former middle school English teacher and now instructional coach in the Topeka school district, told of how Strategic Instruction Model® writing strategies transformed her teaching. Carmen Cantrell, Shawnee Mission (Kan.) school district, showed how teachers use Content Enhancement tools to provide instruction to diverse learners. Devona Dunekack, Topeka school district, described her efforts as an instructional coach to help teachers successfully adopt new instructional methods.

For a higher education perspective, Chriss Walther-Thomas, chair of KU’s Department of Special Education, told the senator that since the early 1980s, more than 5,000 education students at KU have studied CRL research and have learned how to use our classroom products.

Sen. Roberts asked several questions throughout the discussion, shared stories of his days as a classroom teacher, and expressed interest in returning to see KU-CRL’s adolescent literacy programs at work in classrooms.

Watch the video.

• Adolescent Literacy Handout (pdf). Download a copy of the handout distributed during the roundtable discussion with Sen. Roberts.

News coverage:

• The Lawrence Journal-World and 6News in Lawrence, Kan., covered the senator’s visit.
• The Oread (KU staff newsletter)

 

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