SUPR Schools Interdisciplinary Hub Identifying Factors that Help Schools Defy Odds for Reading Achievement

Statewide research, says Associate Professor of Literacy Education Dennis Davis, shows there is a high correlation between reading achievement and socioeconomic status. This means many children who attend high-poverty schools throughout North Carolina are not learning to read proficiently. The members of the Systems for Un-correlating Poverty and Reading (SUPR) in North Carolina Schools interdisciplinary hub have spent the past year examining schools that defy this trend. 

SUPR is one of four Interdisciplinary Research Hubs in the NC State College of Education established to find innovative solutions to pressing educational problems by bringing together individuals from different units and disciplines. SUPR aims to explore those elementary schools that defied the odds in terms of reading achievement to determine policies and practices that could be replicated in other schools. 

“This has been one of the most interesting and inspiring projects I have worked on in a long time,” said Davis, who is a member of the hub. “We have met some amazing educators and families across the state and seen firsthand the inspiring ways these individuals are moving mountains and breaking through barriers to support their students no matter what it takes.”

Members of the SUPR hub began their work by examining state reading achievement data from the past two years to identify those elementary schools that were outperforming expected outcomes as predicted by the percentage of students who were living in poverty. Four of these schools were then recruited to serve as exemplary cases, with hub members visiting each school to conduct in-depth data collection about instruction and related systems influencing the schools’ reading achievement. 

During their time at each school, hub members met with teachers, administrators and parents to gather perspectives on literacy learning. These interviews, along with instructional observations, will help identify common features that characterize schools that are succeeding in overcoming the challenges associated with poverty and reading achievement. 

“Taking an interdisciplinary approach has its challenges, but I think it has pushed our thinking beyond our typical silos to tackle big ideas and consider new perspectives. Plus, it has been uplifting work,” said hub member and Associate Professor of Literacy Education Jill Grifenhagen. “There is nothing better than spending time in elementary schools where the community is engaged, teachers love teaching, and children are joyful and learning.”

Over the next few months, members of the SUPR hub will conduct data analysis and identify the most significant findings from their case study research with the goal of sharing findings with researchers, policymakers and practitioners who can learn them. Hub members have already had an opportunity to share their foundational work and research framework with a variety of stakeholders across North Carolina, including at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s AIM Conference and at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers annual meeting. 

“I have greatly enjoyed working with professors in another area of the college. We have learned a lot from each other and respect each other’s perspectives regarding education,” said hub member and Associate Director of Principal Preparation Lesley Wirt. “I am so proud to work with educators who are so passionate about helping the children of North Carolina and uphold NC State’s land-grant mission.”

A full list of Systems for Un-correlating Poverty and Reading (SUPR) in North Carolina Schools hub members includes:

• Associate Professor of Literacy Education Dennis Davis
• Associate Professor of Literacy Education Jill Grifenhagen
• Associate Director of Principal Preparation Lesley Wirt
• Friday Institute Research Scholar Amy Walter
• Graduate Assistant and Holmes Scholar Janell Miller
• Assistant Teaching Professor of Literacy Education Jill Jones
• Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute Director of Evaluation and Strategic Planning Jessica Sperling