College of Education literacy faculty ranked among nation’s best

The College of Education’s literacy professors are among the most prolific scholars in the country in their field, according to a recent study.

Published in the journal Reading Psychology, the article looked at the productivity of literacy faculty nationwide from 2006 to 2012. The rankings were based on the number of times professors appeared in nine prominent research journals, adjusted for the size of the literacy faculty at the particular college.

UNC Charlotte came in at 21st in the country, besting the likes of the University of Tennessee and the University of South Carolina and ranking just behind Vanderbilt and the University of Florida.

Michael Putman is interim chair of the Department of Reading and Elementary Education. He said the study demonstrates that “faculty are not only highly productive, but also publishing in some of the top journals in the field. It speaks to the quality of their research.”

The significance of recognition is amplified by the fact that as a Carnegie “Research III” institution, UNC Charlotte was the only school of its kind ranked in the top 25. The Carnegie Foundation classifies a school based on a variety of metrics, including its overall research productivity and the number of doctoral degrees it awards. Nineteen of the 25 most productive literacy faculties were at Category I institutions, where research is heavily emphasized.

UNC Charlotte is a comparatively young school, which only recently heightened the priority of academic research.

“This ranking confirms our trajectory towards a more research-focused institution and places us among many universities that have traditionally been defined by their research productivity. In essence, it recognizes and emphasizes that we are producing research in literacy at a level similar to some very distinguished universities,” Putman said.

Ellen McIntyre, dean of the College of Education, echoed Putman’s enthusiasm.

“I am proud of this fabulous group of scholars who have contributed immensely to the development of readers and youth in this region,” she said.

McIntyre highlighted studies on helping struggling readers and writers, English as a second language instruction, and children and adolescent instruction as representative of the college’s impactful work.

Putman added that the journals canvassed in the study are but a small sample of the faculty publications. “Not represented are the many books, book chapters and research published in journals representing other, non-literacy specific disciplines,” he said.

COED is also actively involved in community-based literacy efforts, including a recently launched multimillion dollar initiative to double the number Charlotte-area third graders reading proficiently.

Photo: “Stacked” by Thomas Hawk is licensed under C.C. by N-C 2.0