New teacher-training program designed to be a national model for improving reading and writing skills

March 7, 2001 - Boston, MA: The MGH Institute of Health Professions, a graduate school with programs in nursing, physical therapy, communication sciences and disorders and clinical investigation, has announced the creation of the Hanson Initiative for Language & Literacy (HILL) within the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program headed by Kevin P. Kearns, PhD.

The National Institutes of Health recently recognized high illiteracy rates among children as a national health care crisis. It is estimated that nearly twenty percent of children in the U.S. have a significant reading disability. More than forty percent of fourth grade children performed below basic levels on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1994 and 1998, the last two years in which testing results were reported. Thirty-five percent of students identified with learning disabilities will drop out of high school.

The goal of the Hanson Initiative is to significantly increase the literacy performance of children and adults through educational outreach services to schools and school systems; teacher training and consultation; research and evaluation of measured outcomes; and development of new teacher resource materials. By leveraging faculty expertise with the Institute’s reputation for excellence, this Initiative provides a mechanism for serving as a national model for schools to improve the reading and writing abilities of children and adults.

The HILL program will initially focus on the teacher-training component by forming working partner­ships with schools to develop a custom language arts curriculum tailored to schools’ specific needs. “Teachers are always seeking ways to enhance their reading and intervention skills training,” said Dr. Kearns. “Unfortunately school systems often lack the resources necessary to develop and incorporate known ‘best practices’ into their curriculum, ” he continued.

The Hanson Initiative has received start-up funding through a generous gift from both Glenn and Krista Hanson, of western Massachusetts, and Mr. Hanson’s brother, Dale Hanson, of western Kentucky. “This initiative has been under develop­ment for some time, but it wasn’t until Glenn got personally involved and rallied others around it that it became a reality,” said Institute President Ann W. Caldwell. “The seed money that they have contributed has allowed us to get the program launched.” Sandra Jones, PhD, formerly the Academic Dean and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Carroll School, has been recruited as interim program coordinator.

Glenn Hanson cites his own childhood experience as the major reason for supporting the initiative: “I struggled all through school to read and it was only with great effort that I was able to grasp the process. With proper intervention, such struggle is unnecessary. We see this [gift] as investing social venture capital for a worthy cause.”

The MGH Institute of Health Professions, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, educates advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology and clinical investigation through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice and research. More than 500 students are enrolled in master’s degree or professional certificate programs each semester. They are taught by a nationally-recognized faculty, a majority of whom are practicing clinicians. The CSD Program offers a unique curriculum that integrates written and spoken language into the core course-work and offers the option for dual certification in the state of Massa­chusetts in both speech-language pathology and reading.  The Institute is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.