GSU receives grant to study literacy in juvenile justice schools

Georgia State University College of Education & Human Development professor David Houchins

Georgia State University College of Education & Human Development professor David Houchins

Georgia State University College of Education & Human Development professor David Houchins has received a four-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Center for Special Education Research to study a blended learning literacy program in juvenile justice schools, according to a press release.

Houchins will work with the University of Central Florida and the University of Iowa on the grant called “Literacy Instruction Based on Evidence through Research for Adjudicated Teens to Excel (LIBERATE).”

Teachers at seven long-term juvenile justice schools in Florida will learn how to implement a specific blended learning literacy program, which incorporates textbooks, computer software, trade books and supplementary worksheets in a combination of whole-group, small-group, computer-based activities and individual work.

The research team will analyze the effects of the program on the literacy outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities. They will examine the conditions that support or hinder the blended learning program’s implementation in juvenile justice settings, study the program’s cost-effectiveness and explore the relationship among youth, teacher and administrator factors and literacy instruction.