From Idea to Impact: Launching Young Readers
Posted on November 3, 2026
For elementary students in Chickasaw City Schools in Alabama, summer offered an opportunity to strengthen reading and writing skills while building confidence. For future teachers at the University of South Alabama, it offered a chance to put their learning into practice. Literacy Launchpad brought both groups together through a grant-supported program in the College of Education and Professional Studies.
Dr. Hannah Szatkowski and Dr. Emily Tanner, assistant professors in the Department of Leadership and Teacher Education, launched the program with grant support from the Alabama State Department of Education through the Alabama Summer- and After-School Program.
Literacy Launchpad also supported the college’s broader efforts to prepare future teachers to deliver evidence-based reading instruction in alignment with the Alabama Literacy Act. With faculty support and professional development, teacher candidates connected what they learned in their coursework with the needs of young readers.
“By focusing on students at this pivotal stage, the program aims to provide intensive, developmentally appropriate instruction that strengthens essential skills and increases students’ confidence and joy in reading and writing,” Tanner said.
The program benefited both groups. Children received focused literacy instruction while South students gained hands-on teaching experience, developing their skills as future educators while working directly with young readers.
This article is part of “From Ideas to Impact,” a series highlighting how more than $17 million in active grant funding supports faculty-led work across the College of Education and Professional Studies.
