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Reading Recovery at TWU

Texas Woman's University is one of 22 Reading Recovery University Training Centers in the United States. Texas Woman's University serves Reading Recovery in Texas and affiliated sites in other states by offering

• Initial training for Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura teacher leaders
  (more than 200 to date)
• Ongoing professional development for trained teacher leaders
• Implementation support to administrators in districts
• Initial training for Reading Recovery university trainers from other University Training Centers
  (10 trainers to date)
• Conferences and institutes for Reading Recovery teachers and teacher leaders
• Institutes and sessions for administrators in Reading Recovery districts
• Publications and ongoing communications
• Evaluation of data
• Research about Reading Recovery
• Credit for training of Reading Recovery teachers in the North Texas area

Teacher Leader Training at TWU

Teacher leaders are selected by their districts/consortia for the local leadership role in Reading Recovery training and implementation. The training of these teacher leaders involves a total time commitment for an academic year at TWU. During that year, these teacher leaders

• Teach four children daily
• Examine theoretical and implementation issues
• Learn Reading Recovery procedures
• Engage in field activities with experienced teacher leaders

After training, these leaders return to their home districts and train Reading Recovery teachers.

Teacher Training at Established Reading Recovery Sites

In order to implement Reading Recovery in districts/sites, qualified teachers enroll in a year-long academic course taught by a teacher leader trained at TWU. Through interactive clinical experiences and theoretical study guided by a teacher leader, teachers learn how to implement all components of a Reading Recovery lesson and to select teaching procedures which facilitate accelerated learning for individual students.

Teachers in training continue to work full time in their school districts as they learn Reading Recovery procedures. The most common arrangement during the training year and subsequent years is for the teachers to spend a half day teaching Reading Recovery students and the other half performing other assigned duties. Teachers work with a minimum of eight Reading Recovery students over the year (half of their assignment. Many teachers teach in the classroom the other half day or work with small groups of students in Title 1 or other district programs

Approximately 17 universities across our network support credit for local classes for Reading Recovery teachers.

The University/School District Collaborative

Reading Recovery is a collaborative effort between universities and school districts. Because Reading Recovery is one part of a comprehensive literacy program, it supplements instruction already in place. TWU faculty work with local administrators to place this 'safety net' within their existing instructional programs. Ongoing support includes on-site visits, professional development sessions for teacher leaders, problem solving with Reading Recovery Site Coordinators, printed materials, and sharing of information.

Reading Recovery is one of several TWU programs selected for special item funding by the Texas Legislature. As a result of this funding, TWU has been able to increase the number of teacher leaders in Texas, to enhance collaborative efforts between the university and school districts, to contribute to the development of Reading Recovery in Spanish and to expand important research efforts in the areas of early literacy and teacher education.