Literacy Learning and Teacher Education in the Primary Grades

Abstract

Teacher educators in Georgia are concerned about preparing teachers who can help children attain high levels of proficiency in literacy. As a result, representative teacher educators from public and private institutions that prepare teachers came together in the summer of 2006 to look at our state data. We used the data as a springboard to develop our consensus values and beliefs to support pre-service and in-service teachers in educating students in grades Pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. In the following sections we will describe those critical conversations, our beliefs concerning a core body of knowledge that all reading teachers should know, and how we are working to improve reading instruction to impact student reading achievement in Georgia.