Literacy Education

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Overview

Program Faculty

Professor: Andrea Stairs-Davenport (Associate Dean)
Associate Professor: Alexander Lapidus
Assistant Professors: Melinda Butler (Chair), Kathleen McGovern

Empower learners and celebrate diversity in a collaborative, inclusive academic community. Blending practice, theory, and research in an online cohesive program, we offer courses, certificates, and a master’s degree for practicing teachers. 

The University of Southern Maine (USM) Literacy Education program recognizes the challenges that readers and writers face today. Embracing both tradition and innovation, we explore established and emergent teaching methods to meet the needs of diverse PreK-12 learners. We prepare our graduate students to design and implement literacy instruction at all levels while emphasizing cross-cultural competence.  We are excited to offer an online, 7-week format for certified teachers. With six sessions per year, we allow teachers to begin their program at the most convenient time for them. The MS in Literacy Education is a CAEP-approved program that leads to Maine’s literacy specialist license (092).

Programs

• Literacy Coaching, Certificate of Graduate Study
• Literacy Education, Certificate of Advanced Study
• Literacy Education, M.S.Ed.
• Literacy, Certificate of Graduate Study

Courses

• EDU 512 - Teaching Literature in Grades PreK-12
• EDU 514 - Improving Teaching in Content Areas through Literacy for All Students
• EDU 521 - Digital Literacies
• EDU 522 - Foundations of Language and Literacy Development
• EDU 525 - Invitational Summer Writing Institute
• EDU 526 - Invitational Fall Writing Institute
• EDU 565 - Teaching Reading for All Students in Grades K-6
• EDU 566 - Teaching Writing for All Students
• EDU 607 - Teacher Research in Literacy and Language Development
• EDU 614 - Disciplinary Literacies
• EDU 620 - Literacy Development and Instruction
• EDU 621 - Literacy Assessment
• EDU 626 - Writing Development and Instruction
• EDU 633 - Advanced Applications in Literacy and Language Development
• EDU 634 - Seminar in Literacy Research
• EDU 637 - Contemporary Approaches to Literacy Leadership
• EDU 639 - Practicum in Literacy Education
• EDU 661 - Literacy, Language, and Culture Capstone

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