HIGHER EDUCATION
Community of Practice for
Professors of Literacy
Are you a university professor wanting more ideas for your course syllabus to align it with the science of reading?
Maybe this is your first time teaching a foundational reading course and you’re starting from scratch.
Or maybe you’re just looking to spruce up your existing syllabus.
Either way, our community can help you get there.
Join us for a seven-week community of practice with other literacy professors to learn more about teaching educator prep candidates about
evidence-based literacy instruction.
” If you are in a state and/or institution that needs to update your reading methods courses, you will find this invaluable and will feel less alone with this monumental task.”
(Summer 2025 Community of Practice Participant)
See what professors are saying about our community of practice!
Over seven weeks, you will:
Explore key theories and instructional practices aligned with evidence-based literacy instruction.
Receive access to journal articles and learning activities to include in your course syllabus that are aligned with the science of reading and educator certification standards.
Expand your network by connecting with peers from other institutions.
“I used to feel embarrassed with how much more of an expert everyone else in the room seems to be, but everyone actually seemed very willing to help me and also show their own gaps in understanding.”
(Summer 2025 Community of Practice Participant)
Course Details
The ideal community of practice participant:
- Will be teaching teacher prep candidates during the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Is looking for ideas of readings, resources, and practicum activities to add to their syllabus to make it more aligned to evidence-based literacy instruction.
- Wants to talk to other professors about how they are teaching their students about different literacy topics (the reading brain, phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, fluency, and comprehension).
- Is excited about meeting, sharing information, and problem-solving with professors from other institutions.
Our community of practice includes weekly synchronous sessions (75 minutes every Tuesday) to collaborate and share ideas with other participants and weekly pre-work (about 60 minutes per week) to explore research and resources. There is also a suggested 20 minutes of weekly homework and reflection time to think about how the resources can be included in your course syllabus.
By the end of this community of practice, participants will be able to:
- Articulate key theories and evidence-based instructional routines that education prep candidates need to know.
- Design a course syllabus that is aligned with current research on reading instruction.
- Teach a course on foundational reading instruction to PreK-2nd grade teacher prep candidates that is aligned to research on literacy instruction.
“The discussion about content knowledge was very practical and relevant to what we are doing with our teaching candidates. Very helpful.”
(Summer 2025 Community of Practice Participant)
Course Details
This course includes weekly synchronous sessions to collaborate and share ideas with other participants
and weekly pre-work to explore research and resources to add to your course syllabus.
Our Fall cohort is now closed
Price: TBD
Class Times: TBD
Class Dates: TBD
“This module helped give me ideas on how to share instruction about the reading process, the brain, and models of structured literacy with undergraduate students in a concise manner.
It helped me wrap my head around strategies to help undergraduate students understand the big picture. I was reminded of visuals that can help guide and supplement my instruction in undergraduate reading methods courses.””
(Fall 2024 Community of Practice Participant)
Course Instructors
Karen Betz
Course Instructor | Assistant Professor of Literacy at Marian University in Indianapolis
Dr. Karen Betz is an Assistant Professor of Literacy and Coordinator of Reading Science Programs at Marian University in Indianapolis. She graduated from Mt. St. Joseph University’s Doctoral Program with a concentration in Reading Science. She is a former elementary teacher, gifted interventionist, and school and district literacy coach. She is an Orton-Gillingham trainer for the M.A. Rooney Foundation. She enjoys supporting schools, districts, and higher education institutions in their journey to learn more about the science of reading as a consultant in her business, KB Literacy Consulting.
Caitlin Deckard
Course Instructor | Science of Reading Specialist
Caitlin is a Science of Reading Specialist and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University. She has held various positions in rural and urban school districts, including elementary classroom teacher, literacy interventionist, gifted and talented teacher, RTI coordinator, strategic planning board member, and Title Services program coordinator.
Seema Tejura
Course Instructor | Founder / Managing Director
The Literacy Architects is led by founder and managing director Seema Tejura. Seema has over twelve years of experience leading students, teachers, and leaders towards literacy success, influencing over 150,000 students in 350+ schools. She has held various positions in urban school districts, including reading specialist, literacy coach, reading/language arts director, and chief academic officer.
Seema holds master’s degrees in reading and education leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University and The George Washington University. She is also a reading specialist, Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner, and Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP).
