Education faculty expect big returns

Pamela Hamilton
Staff writer

School of education faculty expect the $100 million donation from Jim and Sally Barksdale to establish the Barksdale Reading Institute to have a dramatic impact on state literacy rates.

The donation to the University of Mississippi Foundation to establish the institute will provide the resources to implement a research-based reform model.

The Barksdale gift is for the implementation of the Mississippi Reading Reform Model. The model resulted from five years of research on the study of reading instruction in Mississippi.

A tremendous amount of research has been done on how to improve literacy rates, said school of education assistant dean Thomas Bates.

"I believe that this particular effort is based on sound research," Bates said.

The Ole Miss-headquartered institute will give grants to Mississippi's seven other public universities to employ more reading faculty members.

Fannye Love, acting chair of curriculum and instruction in the school of education praised this linking of the eight universities, saying that the institute would have an impact on the entire state.

"I think that the community professional collaboration is so important for the state of Mississippi," Love said.

Bates said that in the past year, both the State Department of Education and the State Board of Education have placed a primary emphasis on reading.

Reading is required as part of the elementary education curriculum, Bates said.

Ole Miss also offers a remedial reading endorsement. Teachers who are licensed to teach in a major academic area may have an additional "endorsement" in other areas.

Elementary education major Amanda Pierce said the reading requirement is an important one.

"I think it is extremely important because I feel literacy is the foundation to all further education," said Pierce, a senior from Corinth.

The Barksdales are not strangers to giving to Ole Miss. Both Ole Miss alumni, the Barksdales donated $5.4 million in 1996 to establish the McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College.

Honors College student Meredith Skelton said she hopes the $100 million donation will be as beneficial to the university as the past donation was to the Honors College.

"I think it's excellent," said Skelton, a freshman international business major from Madison. "I think their gift to the Honors College has been beneficial."

"As a state, we have had problems with literacy. I think it's a really good place to put money," she said.