ECU elementary education earns national recognition for preparing elementary teachers in science of reading

East Carolina University’s elementary education program earns top marks for how well future teachers are prepared to teach reading to elementary students.

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) spotlighted the program for preparing aspiring educators in the five foundational components of reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, leading to a grade of A+.

“A key strength of ECU’s program is the depth and range of faculty expertise in literacy research and practice,” said Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty, chair of the Department of Literacy Studies and Special Education and literacy education professor. “Literacy faculty collaborate with elementary education and special education colleagues to design coursework, supervise clinical experiences and mentor candidates using current research and evidence-based practices. This strong faculty foundation is what allows ECU to deliver a rigorous, aligned literacy curriculum, and it was a contributing factor in achieving the NCTQ A+ rating.”

Across the required literacy courses, elementary education majors follow a theory-to-practice cycle by studying the research and rehearsing instructional routines before implementing those routines in real classrooms and reflecting on the outcomes.

“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but East Carolina University is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”

Over the past three years, ECU has revised its curriculum to create a sequence of core literacy courses anchored in the science of reading and aligned with the UNC System’s literacy framework.

“The curriculum reflects a shared emphasis on developing teachers who not only understand the research but use it to guide instructional decisions,” Swaggerty said. “Candidates learn to plan, implement and evaluate literacy instruction using assessment data, with consistent attention to explicit, systematic instruction across settings.”

A key part of the curriculum is the ability to apply knowledge in real classrooms through clinical experiences. Through three courses — READ 3501, READ 3502 and ELEM 3215 — students complete multiple practicum sessions focused on foundational skill development before extending the work into supervised visits focusing on vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and small-group instruction as well as how language arts are utilized to foster literacy skills.

“Teachers who understand how reading develops, how to assess it and how to respond instructionally are better able to prevent reading difficulties and accelerate student progress,” Swaggerty said. “When teachers enter classrooms this well prepared, students benefit from more consistent, effective instruction and stronger reading outcomes over time.”