Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Fort Hayes State University Opens Virtual Literacy Center

  • 11/04/19

HAYS, KS – The Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hays State University has developed and opened the Virtual Literacy Center to make the highest quality, cutting edge, scientific-based tutoring services available to the school districts in approximately 25 counties in Northwest Kansas.

Dr. Sarah Miller, assistant professor of teacher education; Dr. Beth Walizer, professor of teacher education; and Hannah Frazer, pre-service teacher/VISTA member, collaborated to develop and pilot the program with USD 407 in Russell, KS.

“In the past, Northwest Kansas has been grossly underserved simply because of logistics and the challenges of physically getting the proper help to the children who need it most,” says Miller. “However, with innovation and technology, the miles between students and tutors has been overcome.”

As literacy professors, both Miller and Walizer have watched young people who struggle with illiteracy encounter roadblocks as they seek to enter post-secondary education, the professional world, or the workforce.

“I have seen first–hand the extremely difficult struggles of children who cannot read,” says Walizer.

The Virtual Literacy Center will equip educators with the latest tools and programs to identify specific reading difficulties in children and develop custom-designed interventions and strategies to help each individual child.

All that is required to use the center is the Internet and a reliable computer with a webcam. These resources can easily be provided by a local school or public library.

If any parent, educator, administrator, or other party is interested in this program or has questions, contact Dr. Sarah Miller at 785/628-4204.

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.