Washburn Education Department

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Washburn Education Department

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10/24/2026

What a great day of collaboration, learning, and advocacy! The Washburn Education Department partnered with the PSU Center for Reading with funding support from the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy to offer free dyslexia evaluations for children and resources/support for families. In addition, educators from three area school districts joined to observe and learn more about the evaluation process.

(and Gorillas!)

10/19/2026

Last Friday, Dr. Steffen, Dr. Carlson, and Mr. Reffett headed west to Bird City, Kansas to support educators in the Cheylin school district. Dr. Steffen worked with a team on their selection of a new science curriculum, Dr. Carlson spoke with teachers and administrators about literacy instruction, and Mr. Reffett provided educators with de-escalation strategies Faculty were invited to stay for the homecoming football game (6-man football) and cheered on the Cougars to victory!

10/13/2026

Graduate candidates participated in a dyslexia simulation facilitated by Dr. Carlson and Dr. Leu to better understand how students with dyslexia may experience the learning environment and how teachers can more effectively support their students.

10/02/2026

Collaborating with public libraries in northeast Kansas to support literacy has been a wonderful experience! Librarians learned more about the science of reading and then designed projects/initiatives to address the needs of their community. Our grant from the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy provided funds for these projects across northeast Kansas!

We are very excited to announce the completion of a project that we have been working very hard on for the last few months! We have created a new "Science of Reading" section in our library. We were able to create this section through a grant we received from Washburn University. This new section is full of a variety of resources to help strengthen reading skills. It has phonics readers, textbooks, workbooks, games, flash cards, and books about the philosophy of how to teach reading skills. This section will be a great resource to parents, teachers, and caregivers!

10/01/2026

This semester, Ms. Lutz is sharing her expertise in linguistic mapping with educators at Lowman Hill Elementary (Topeka Public Schools). Washburn’s partnership with the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy has provided support for this professional learning including sets of linguistic mapping materials for teachers in the school to use with students.

09/16/2026

09/11/2026

Congratulations to Kansas’ own Dr. David Hurford on this prestigious award!

We are excited to announce Dr. David P. Hurford as the 2026 Margaret Byrd Rawson Award winner! 🏆

As a developmental psychologist, research scientist and educator, Dr. Hurford has dedicated his career to translating foundational research into practical interventions that help struggling readers succeed. His impact reaches far and wide across the dyslexia community. He directs the Center for READing and early in his career, he developed groundbreaking identification procedures to predict and prevent reading failure before it occurs. This vital research led him to create the "Secret Codes" kindergarten curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading. He also founded CARRD, Inc. to provide high-quality assessments and interventions and authored the children’s book "I Have Dyslexia" to support families directly!

Join us in congratulating Dr. Hurford on this well-deserved honor!

Don't forget to register for DyslexiaCon26 : https://ow.ly/u38z50ZL1ZQ

08/30/2026

The WU Department of Education is collaborating with the University of Kansas’ Literacy Bridges initiative to support access to evidence-based literacy resources. Undergraduate students working to become licensed educators are creating Book Bridges (resources for families) using texts from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library collection. Please explore the current collection of Book Bridges created by our teacher candidates and check back for more!

https://www.researchtorealworld.org/resource/book-bridges-coat-of-many-colors-by-dolly-parton/?

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Kansas Blueprint for Literacy

08/15/2026

Contact Dr. Carlson for more information!

Thinking about earning your Reading Specialist license? Now is the time!

Under the Blueprint for Literacy (HB 2485), elementary school buildings will be required to have a licensed Reading Specialist beginning in the 2029–30 school year.

Three Kansas universities are enrolling now in Reading Specialist programs, with scholarship funding available to support educators pursuing licensure.

Scholarships of $1,400 per semester for five semesters, with a maximum cumulative award of $7,000 per educator, are available at Newman University, Washburn University, and Wichita State University.

Learn more about Reading Specialist scholarships: https://kansasregents.gov/about/kansas-blueprint-for-literacy/reading-specialist-scholarships

07/23/2026

Now enrolling for the Fall 2026 Science of Reading/Seal of Literacy graduate courses! No cost, six graduate credits (can be applied to the M.Ed. degree), and a stipend upon completion!

Address

1700 SW College Avenue
Topeka, KS
66621

Website

https://www.washburn.edu/academics/college-schools/applied-studies/departments/education/index.html

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