Lilly Endowment grant supports Science of Reading initiative
Hanover College has received a $500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana. The grant will support Hanover’s Educator Preparation Program (HCEPP).
The Science of Reading includes an interdisciplinary body of scientifically based global research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research, conducted through the past five decades, is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. Evidence now informs how proficient reading and writing develop, why some students have difficulty and how to effectively assess, teach and improve student outcomes through the prevention/intervention of reading difficulties.
Hanover is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities that received grants from Lilly Endowment to support efforts that integrate Science of Reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.
The College’s Educator Preparation Program utilizes a community of faculty members and teachers who prepare committed, competent, culturally responsive and critically reflective new teachers. HCEPP’s collaborative approach with professional educators ensures that teacher-candidates are not only specialists in their content areas but well-prepared by their liberal arts backgrounds to be critical thinkers with excellent writing and speaking skills.
“It is imperative that more of Indiana’s elementary students learn to read proficiently, and it is essential that current teachers and the next generation of teachers are prepared to use proven principles to teach reading in their classrooms,” said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education. “We are pleased therefore to help Indiana colleges and universities strengthen the use of these research-based principles to teach reading in their teacher preparation programs.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative in 2022. It complements a statewide effort undertaken in 2022 by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to improve reading achievement in K-12 schools by helping current teachers implement Science of Reading-aligned principles in their classrooms. In 2022, the Endowment made a $60 million grant to the IDOE to support that work with school districts and teachers across Indiana.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion, and it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
