With a focus on literacy as a social justice issue, Renee Ziolkowska (Department of Elementary Education), and Vanessa Goodwin, Rachel Friedman Narr and Sue Sears (Department of Special Education) are working with faculty from UCLA, and other CSU campuses in the Los Angeles basin, to strengthen educational support for diverse students with a wide range of learning needs, including those with dyslexia. To achieve this goal, faculty are collectively reviewing and revising reading and reading related course syllabi, operationalizing Foundational Skills from the Literacy Teaching Performance Expectations, and developing a series of digital learning modules aligned with the California Dyslexia Guidelines.
The Collaborative includes general, special, and bi-lingual researchers and teacher educators, who represent multiple and differing perspectives and areas of expertise. Reaching across departments, campuses, and fields of study the Collaborative aims to understand differences and identify commonalities, in pursuit of the inclusivity and coherence needed to improve reading outcomes in California. It is exciting to be a part of this effort.