UNT earns grant to research adult literacy program this fall

Friday, September 12, 2014 - 14:55

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- This fall, University of North Texas students are designing and implementing an adult literacy program -- called the Extensive Reading Program -- in collaboration with the Denton Public Library, thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Graduate students Monica Ng, a master's student in linguistics and technical communication at UNT, and Dung Nguyen, a doctoral student in curriculum and instruction with a concentration on language and literacy, are working on the project with Dr. Ricardo González-Carriedo, principal investigator for the grant and assistant professor of bilingual and ESL education in the University of North Texas College of Education. The UNT team will provide training to the adult literacy instructors working for the library and will purchase a collection of books to be given to the library for the adult literacy program.

"This program is about the pleasure of reading, which makes it different from others that may be a more formal or traditional setting with a teacher in front of the classroom and students sitting in rows," said González-Carriedo. "This has the potential of retaining students longer to acquire basic skills they need in life."

Gonzalez-Carriedo and the students also plan to research the effectiveness of the reading program that UNT will put in place.

Get more information about the adult literacy program.

About UNT's College of Education

UNT's College of Education prepares students to contribute to the advancement of education, health and human development. Founded in 1890 as a teacher's training college, UNT now enrolls more than 4,000 students in the College of Education, which consists of four departments -- counseling and higher education; educational psychology; kinesiology, health promotion and recreation; and teacher education and administration. UNT's College of Education certifies about 1,000 teachers a year -- making it the largest producer of new teachers in the north Texas region. Students are also prepared for careers as researchers, counselors, leaders, physical activity and health promotion specialists, child development and family studies specialists and more.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education as part of the company's mission of Serving Others for over 20 years. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $92 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than five million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit the Dollar General Literacy Foundation online.

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