A Master of Education degree program in Reading, Literacy and Learning is being offered at Longwood for this first time this fall after gaining approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia this spring.
The new degree evolved from Longwood’s graduate-level Literacy and Culture program, currently a concentration under the Master of Science in education, which prepares teachers to be reading specialists and literacy coaches.
The stand-alone program, the second Longwood M.Ed. program approved recently, will be offered for the first time this fall.
“This is a solid, up-to-date program that was made even stronger by the rigorous SCHEV process, in which we rewrote every syllabus and incorporated the latest research in best practices,” said Dr. Gretchen Braun M.S. ’91, professor of education and program coordinator. “The new name reflects the expanded definition of literacy and expanded role of reading specialists.”
Every Virginia elementary school must have a reading specialist, Braun said.
About half of the students in the program attend part time at locations in Chesterfield, Powhatan and Spotsylvania counties, taking classes that offer a combination of face-to-face and online instruction.