Relay’s President Joins New York State Effort to Transform Literacy Instruction

Relay’s president, Dr. Mayme Hostetter, has been tapped to join the Steering Committee of The Path Forward - a new initiative to transform how reading is taught in New York State. 

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The Path Forward is a program of The Hunt Institute, which is convening its third cohort of states that want to improve early literacy by embedding the “science of reading” principles into educator preparation. The New York State Education Department and the Literacy Academy Collective are leading New York’s effort, and they have brought together a team of  leaders from NYSED; the NY State Legislature; the Governor’s office; leaders, deans, and faculty from higher education educator preparation programs; and key community advocates, funders, and stakeholders from across New York State.  

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Dr. Hostetter commented: “The science of reading is core to Relay Graduate School of Education's teacher prep programs. I am grateful and proud to join the Steering Committee of The Path Forward, New York's partnership with the Hunt Institute to ensure all teachers are well prepared to teach their students how to read well.”

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Over the next year, New York will work alongside five other states from the Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest to develop actionable strategies to strengthen the teaching of reading in their states. Each team will be supported through intensive coaching by experts from The Hunt Institute, participation in virtual convenings, and attendance at an in-person convening to be held in July 2024 in North Carolina. A National Advisory Group, a cadre of experts in reading, policy, and teacher preparation, serve as partners in the work by presenting to teams at convenings, providing resources, and offering feedback on state action plans. 

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 At the end of their participation, teams will have a customized action plan for further embedding the science of reading into their state’s higher education teacher prep programs to be implemented in the following years.

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In a Chalkbeat New York article on the initiative, fellow Steering Committee member and Associate Professor at Brooklyn College CUNY Dr. Katie Pace Miles summed up why this work is so important: “There’s a lack of evidence-based instruction in our teacher preparation programs, both in New York City and across New York State…We can’t just keep talking about how [the scores] are unacceptable. We actually have to do something substantial to change outcomes in teacher training.”

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Relay’s early literacy program was given an ‘A’ rating from NCTQ for embedding the “science of reading” principles into our curriculum and providing effective opportunities for practice - one of only two programs in New York State to receive that grade or higher. 

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We are proud that Dr. Hostetter can lend her voice and expertise to this important effort, as well as bring back important insights to our institution to ensure all teachers master the most effective strategies to ensure all children can learn.

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‍Check out these stories from the classroom on the subject of teaching literacy: Jasmine Barber in Texas, Kyla Bivins in Connecticut, and Tyra Fredrerick, one of our ELA professors.