The P20 Literacy Collaborative, as part of the Ohio Deans Compact, brings together representatives from higher education, school districts, professional associations, regional entities (i.e., SSTs, ESCs), and ODE and ODHE. Membership includes eight university – district partner teams from institutions receiving Compact-awarded Improving Literacy Partnership Grants and incentive grants and members of the Higher Education Literacy Steering Committee, which was established during the 2018-19 project year. Funded university – district partner teams are from Cleveland State University, Marietta College, Mount St. Joseph University, Muskingum University, Ohio University, Shawnee State University, Youngstown State University, and Walsh University.
Purpose. The purpose of the group, which functions as a peer-to-peer learning group or community of practice, is to support authentic, meaningful, and sustainable university-school district partnerships to strengthen core reading course content offered through Ohio institutions of higher education (IHEs), improve equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction and equitable literacy outcomes for struggling learners, and fund development efforts that support collective inquiry into common problems of practice related to improving literacy results for all learners.
Peer learning group structure. The Collaborative (1) allows for the identification of possible alignments and gaps between preservice preparation and in-district practice with regard to the use of evidence-based early language and literacy instruction; (2) fosters shared understanding on the part of higher education and school district faculty of curricular improvement processes and shared ownership of curricula developed through the project beyond individual faculty; (3) identifies strategies for “bridging” the preparation to practice continuum (i.e., the transition between what educators are able to do upon leaving preservice programs and what teaching reading to diverse learners asks of them); and (4) provides a forum for shared learning and greater mutual understanding and appreciation among representatives.