Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Business Journal Q3 2014 | Page 52

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diagnostics that are not available in most rural
areas, Persichitte said.
“UW and the College of
Education have a valuable
resource available in our
faculty and the Literacy
Research Center and Clinic
offers us a chance to share
that and to connect the
research of our faculty
more directly with children
and teachers in Wyoming,”
she added.

“Our reading
and writing skills
are the
foundation from
which we
develop our
understanding
and knowledge
to become
productive
citizens.”

Persichitte stressed that
literacy is very important.
“Any individual’s ability to read, write, and
speak either opens educational and employment
opportunities for them or it closes those
opportunity doors. This is true from pre-school
ages through our adulthood.”

She views literacy as the primary path for personal
independence and economic vitality. “Our reading
and writing skills are the foundation from which
we develop our understanding and knowledge to
become productive citizens.”
The idea for the center germinated with the first
Wyoming Excellence Chair in Literacy Education,
Dr. Jim Baumann, who came to Persichitte with
an idea to connect the research and teaching in
literacy to improved literacy outcomes for children
in Wyoming through an outreach center.
The early idea was that the center would focus on
providing current K-12 teachers with up-to-date
teaching strategies around reading and writing and
offer the specialized expertise and experience of

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the College of Education’s faculty to children who had
unique literacy needs, she said.

Education: The Foundation of Our Future

“This concept has evolved over the last four
years to target children from birth through
high school and all the people who work
with these children in the areas of literacy,
in school settings and outside of school
settings,” Persichitte said.

Two current Wyoming Excellence Chairs
in Higher Education Endowed Chairs in
Literacy Education have been established
at UW with funding from the Legislature,
Dr. George Kamberelis and Dr. Victoria
Ridgeway Gillis will provide the leadership
for this work and will co-direct the center
when it opens. Additionally, more than 15 other UW
faculty members in the College of Education and other
academic units have expertise and interest in literacy
education.
Services and support through the center may
include these programs: K-6, 6-12, or K-12 Reading
Endorsement for in-service teachers; Master’s degree in
Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy
Education; and Ph.D. in Literacy Education.
Persichitte said that the role of the center in helping
teachers/students with literacy programs will be focused
on the following three elements: having professional
development to raise support instructional practices of
K-12 teachers; supporting improved literacy practices
of early childhood personnel; and offering expertise,
resources, and referrals for children with special needs
related to literacy.
So far the center has developed strong partnerships,
including First Lady Carol Mead, the Child
Development Center of Natrona County in Casper, the