Drs. Kim Moody and Reagan Murnan, professors in Wichita State’s College of Education, joined with partners to present the Summer Literacy Lab model to the Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The four-week Summer Literacy Lab brought together Wichita Public Schools teachers, WSU literacy faculty and teacher candidates to provide more than 40 hours of literacy instruction for K-2 students across 16 instructional days.

The program combined whole-class instruction with intensive one-on-one and one-to-two tutoring. Wichita Public Schools instructional routines were used alongside differentiated tutoring materials developed by WSU literacy faculty.

According to Murnan, preliminary pre- and post-assessment data suggests growth in phonological awareness, nonsense word fluency and oral reading fluency, although a full analysis has not yet been completed.

Murnan says faculty and teachers also observed increased student confidence, engagement and willingness to participate in literacy activities.

WSU teacher candidates gained hands-on experience providing evidence-based literacy instruction, monitoring student progress and adjusting instruction with support from WSU faculty and Wichita Public Schools teachers.

Murnan says the program demonstrates how K-12 schools and higher education can work together to support literacy development while strengthening the preparation of future teachers.

During the presentation, Moody and Murnan also highlighted how the Summer Literacy Lab supports the goals of the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy by connecting evidence-based instruction, educator preparation and collaboration between K-12 schools and higher education.

They also discussed opportunities to expand access to the program and potentially replicate elements of the model in other Kansas communities.