Marietta College

« Back to Recent News

Marietta's Education Department touts Science of Reading to Gov. DeWine

by Gi Smith

Marietta, Ohio (04/12/2023) — Marietta College student Izzy Rinard '23 (New Matamoras, Ohio) was recently invited to be on a panel of educators talking to Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran, about how critical it is for educators to adopt a new way to teach children how to read.

The Science of Reading is an approach to teaching literacy currently being adopted in Marietta City Schools. Marietta College's Education Department has already been teaching teacher candidates Science of Reading, which teaches children to read using science-based methods as opposed to the antiquated rewards-based methods. Current teachers are training to understand and use the new approach.

"It really needs to start with teacher preparation," said Dr. Raven Cromwell, an Assistant Professor in the Education Department and a literacy expert. "We are putting a Band-Aid on something, and we need to prevent this from happening. Izzy, one of our wonderful interns, is already graduating and knows how to do this."

DeWine asked the group of educators about the process of adopting new approaches to teaching, adding that the state should pay for this type of training.

"Our goal is for every child in the state to live up to their full potential," DeWine said during the panel discussion in the school's library. "I'm a former county prosecutor. I know more about law enforcement than I know about how to teach reading. We used to say the jury is back, the verdict is in, and it's pretty overwhelming that this is the way we need to go."

He didn't know the percentage of schools that used the Science of Reading, but said the state legislator needs to help all districts transition to the science-based approach.

Rinard told the panel she was proud to have learned about Science of Reading while still in college, adding that the teachers she was interning with at the local elementary school were also learning it at the same time.

"I was completely blown away to be asked to be a part of this panel," Rinard said after it was over. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to speak with the governor about education. It's important to be a part of the discussion. There has to be change, and who knows, it could start with the government."

Rinard plans to teach in Appalachia after graduation.

Before the panel, Gov. DeWine visited a kindergarten classroom where young children were actively learning using the Science of Reading. Evelyn Fontana '24 (Wadsworth, Illinois) and Anna Bardwell '24 (Westerville, Ohio), both Special Education/Elementary Education majors, were assisting during the class. The children were working in stations that included teacher-led work, using iPads to reinforce sound reading, independent stations, and a worksheet that featured the word of the day. That day, students focused on the word "look."

"I think it's really cool that the Science of Reading is being used in this classroom and that it's being recognized as effective," Fontana said. "I think it's interesting to remember how I learned to read and now seeing how we're trying to teach reading to these students. I love seeing how proud the children get when they learn something new, and that makes me really proud."

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.

###

Media Attachments

Copyright © 2024 Merit Pages, Inc. • All Rights Reserved. • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Opt Out