Bridging Research to Practice: Mount St. Joseph University’s Reading Science Programs
The Problem
Whether it’s called The gap between reading research and classroom practice, The missing foundation in teacher education, or The two cultures of science and education, the research consensus is clear: there is a major chasm that exists between reading research and reading instruction. In fact, the disconnect between reading science and the teaching of reading is so significant and substantial that those “labels” are all chapter titles in books written by prominent researchers in the field of reading science: David Kilpatrick, Louisa Moats, and Mark Seidenberg, respectively.
The research-to-practice gap - a large body of “relevant but underutilized evidence” (Seidenberg, 2017) regarding how learning to read works - presents an unfortunate reality for students and practitioners alike. Teachers often graduate from their certification programs with insufficient expertise in how to teach reading. According to the IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (2018), “Inquiries into teacher preparation in reading have revealed a pervasive absence of substantive content and academic rigor in many courses that lead to the certification of teachers and specialists.”
Being an effective reading teacher - for neurotypical and neurodiverse students - requires both knowledge about how reading works and practical skills. As Louisa Moats would say: teaching reading is rocket science. Many textbooks used in teacher preparation programs - at the undergraduate and graduate level - include little empirical research (Joshi, Binks, Graham et al., 2009 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2015). Additionally, many of the resources that contain scientific and empirical reading research are neither advertised nor accessible to most teachers (Kilpatrick, 2015). According to Seidenberg (2017), “Science and education occupy different territories in the intellectual world (literally on many university campuses).”
This dilemma begs the following questions: How can we bridge the gap between science and education? How can research findings make it out of the lab and into the classroom? How can we utilize the five decades’ worth of research about reading - spanning the fields of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology, to name a few - to best serve students? How can aspiring reading teachers find certification programs that will help them gain the knowledge and skills they need to be effective?
This article will highlight a university program that is leading the way in preparing reading practitioners and literacy leaders by providing coursework and practicum experiences rooted in the science of reading.
Mount St. Joseph University
Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mount St. Joseph University (MSJ) is a leader in reading science education. Their undergraduate teacher preparation program as well as graduate programs are aligned with the science of reading: research about how people learn to read. The focus of this article will be to highlight their master’s and doctoral reading science programs.
To learn more about MSJ’s graduate reading programs, we spoke with Dr. Amy Murdoch, Assistant Dean of Reading Science at MSJ. When we asked her to describe the graduate level coursework within her programs, she continually referred to the IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards, noting that all reading science coursework - from undergraduate to doctorate - is rooted in those standards, which outline the essential components of reading and writing; key pieces of knowledge that teachers need; and practice implications. In other words, the standards provide the what, the why, and the how.
Students in the masters and doctoral programs come from many fields, and cohorts may include teachers, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, and school administrators. This goes to show how impactful and imperative it is that those working in education - and those who make education-related decisions - have a nuanced understanding of literacy development. The graduate programs are also fully online, which attracts a diverse student population from all over the country and allows students to be working in the field while completing the program.
Master’s Program - For “The Implementers”
MSJ’s reading science master’s program is designed to prepare students to be excellent reading teachers by providing opportunities to learn about the science of reading and implement evidence-based practices. The coursework begins with the psychology of reading, exploring research from cognitive psychology, educational reading research, and psychological neuroscience. Key texts in this part of the program include Seidenberg’s Language at the Speed of Sight and the National Reading Panel report. The coursework also explores how to support children with disabilities.
From there, the program has two strands: language comprehension and word recognition. Coursework in the language comprehension strand includes topics such as fluency, comprehension, vocabulary development, and writing instruction along with practicum experiences related to effective instruction in those areas. Through the word recognition strand, students dive into phonics and linguistics, with an Orton-Gillingham-based practicum, through which students learn about the OG approach and about how to create lessons using the framework.
Another important component of the master’s program is learning about research and statistics, which prepares students for their culminating master’s thesis, focused on a literature review and research-based question.
Doctoral Program: For “The Leaders”
MSJ’s doctoral program picks up where the master’s program leaves off. The three-year program is geared toward those who know how to teach reading and are ready to implement systems-change in schools.
In year one of the program, students dive deep into the foundations of the science of reading. A nuanced understanding of evidence-aligned instructional practices is crucial for making informed decisions at the systems level. Topics of study include linguistics, language, cognitive psychology, multi-tiered systems of support, and writing instruction.
The second year of the program is designed to support candidates’ understanding of research so that they are able to be the “implementers” and the “translators” of research. They explore applied research and how to connect science to practice.
The final year of the doctoral program involves an applied research dissertation, through which candidates take more research and statistics courses and design applied behavior research. They explore topics from supporting students with learning the spelling of irregular words to supporting teachers in building Tier 3 interventions based on assessment data and the instructional hierarchy.
The Student Experience
To learn more about MSJ’s graduate program, we spoke to two current doctoral students. Kelly Urbani, an elementary principal in Pennsylvania who is in her second year of the program, spoke about the impact that the program has had on her practice, specifically related to her understanding of data. She spoke about the importance of being a data-literate teacher, which involves not only interacting with and understanding empirical research, but also knowing how to use assessment data to inform instruction. She shared about changes she has led at her school site related to MTSS by using data to inform instructional decisions.
Another doctoral student, Meghan Martin - previously an SLP, now a structured literacy and practicum facilitator through AIM Institute for Learning and Research - who is in her third year of the program, also cited the research and statistics parts of the program to be one of the most valuable components, explaining that it changed her as a reader and consumer of reading research. She learned about how to navigate research articles and vet claims. While she knows that the best scenario possible is for teachers to get relevant training in understanding data and research in their undergraduate program, she recognizes the impact of empowering teachers with knowledge and giving them the tools to access it, and the importance of seeking out this training after the undergraduate experience, if needed.
Closing the Gap
MSJ is well-known for being an exemplary program that prepares the implementers and the translators of research by giving students the skills and knowledge they need to bring the science of reading into practice. As Dr. Murdoch says, “We want teachers to be teaching reading the right way, right away.”
When looking for undergraduate or graduate programs that are aligned with the science of reading, Dr. Murdoch recommends exploring course sequences: Are they rooted in the IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards? To what extent will courses prepare teachers to use and interact with research and data? More information about implementing the science of reading in higher education can be found at MSJ’s Center for Reading Science website.
As Seidenberg puts it in Language at the Speed of Sight, “Barriers between education and science exist only as long as we allow them to.” MSJ’s program set a wonderful example of replacing the barrier with a bridge to positively impact students, teachers, and systems.