Dr. Robert Carr added to the Governor’s Task Force on Teacher Preparation for Early Literacy
One of Alcorn State University’s deans has been selected to tackle the issue of preparing educators to enhance childhood literacy.
Dr. Robert Carr, dean of the Department of Education and Psychology, was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to serve as a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Teacher Preparation for Early Literacy. As a member of the task force, Carr and other members will meet monthly to propose written policy recommendations by Oct. 31.
Carr looks forward to sharing ideas with other professors to help young students reach their full potential.
“I am honored to be able to serve as a member of the Task Force on Teacher Preparation for Early Literacy,” said Carr. “This is a tremendous opportunity to work with professionals that want to improve opportunities and student success for young people in the state of Mississippi.”
Because of the research that Carr has done on the effects of children not reading at grade level, he stresses the importance of forming a game plan to combat the issue.
“Having K-3rd grade students reading on a grade level is an extremely important issue for any public school system. Research indicates that students that are not reading on grade level by the end of the third grade are more likely to drop out of school. Therefore, the issue of literacy is extremely important.”
Carr notes that with teamwork, the issue of early childhood literacy can be solved.
“I hope to work with taskforce members to help them understand that in order to ensure the success of K-12 students, public schools and universities must work together to achieve this goal. Universities must utilize innovative training approaches and K-12 schools must provide professional development support for teachers, while continuously monitoring literacy growth of their students.”
The Department of Education and Psychology has had plenty of success over the past couple of years. Carr credits his faculty, staff and the support of President Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr. and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Donzell Lee for the department’s success.
“The School of Education and Psychology has been relatively successful in the last few years. I attribute the success of the school to the wonderful faculty and staff as well as the support that we have received from top-level administration. To be the dean of this department has been a wonderful experience. I feel that I have learned so much about innovation, accreditation and running a complex education unit. With that being said, the best is yet to come.”
