CTL receives Lumina Foundation grant extension to expand its Kentucky community college literacy work

August 24, 2007

CTL has received an extension of a grant from the Lumina Foundation of Indianapolis to expand its work with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to boost the literacy skills of community college students. Lumina is a private, independent foundation, dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school.

An initial grant from Lumina in 2006 supported CTL’s work with faculty members from four KCTCS community colleges—Jefferson, Hazard and Big Sandy Community and Technical Colleges, and Madisonville Community College—to help them embed core literacy strategies into coursework across academic disciplines. Amy Awbrey, CTL Project Director, notes that many incoming community college students struggle to comprehend and demonstrate knowledge of written content in an academic setting. Through the Lumina grant, CTL has trained KCTCS faculty to implement teaching strategies that support critical thinking and higher level learning for these students, and has provided coaching and support for faculty.

Under the initial grant, faculty participants also worked with CTL to design a direct course for community college students focused on building effective literacy-based critical learning skills and behaviors. That course, which includes strategies for understanding unfamiliar vocabulary, reading for information, note taking, writing for specific purposes, and engaging in discussion about rigorous content, is being piloted at Jefferson and Hazard Community and Technical Colleges during the Fall 2007 semester.

The response to work under the initial grant revealed the strong promise of CTL’s approach. Participating faculty noted that CTL’s training significantly changed their approach to teaching, and reported increased comprehension and engagement among students as a result, in courses as diverse as art history and nursing.

The grant extension will enable CTL to expand training and coaching to additional faculty at Jefferson and Hazard Community and Technical Colleges beginning in January 2008. In addition, CTL will train a leadership team made up of faculty from both schools to develop strategies that support the ongoing professional development of their colleagues.

As part of the new work, the Evaluation Services Center at the University of Cincinnati will conduct an independent evaluation of the project in fall 2008.

For more information, contact:
Amy Awbrey
v: 502.895.9500 x318