TAMIU-LBV Literacy Partnership

A literacy center is a dedicated classroom dedicated for early intervention of reading difficulties in a partner elementary school. Our first literacy center was established in 2011 as a field experience at Dr. Henry Cuellar Elementary School for College of Education students. Dr. Philip Roberson, the previous executive director of the Partnership, along with the principal, Ms. Melissa Shinn, opened the first literacy center to bring talented TAMIU tutors together with emerging readers who needed intervention to meet reading goals. In the center, emerging readers grow their literacy skills in one-on-one tutoring sessions. Centers are furnished by the school with simple, organized stations so that each tutor and student always have a place to work comfortably. The literacy centers also have a rich library of books organized by reading level so that students and tutors are always working at the student’s “just right” reading level. We currently service three Laredo ISD campuses and three United ISD campuses with a total established a total of eight literacy centers.

Dr. Roberson designed the first center based on his experience in Metropolitan Nashville (TN) Public Schools. Nashville’s Reading Clinics used an adaptation of the Reading Recovery intervention. Dr. Tammy Lipsey created the Five-Part Lesson format used by the Partnership from 2011-2018. In 2011, Laredo’s first Literacy Center opened at Cuellar Elementary School (UISD) in the fall of 2011. Thereafter, it has served over 100 emerging readers each school year. As success drew attention, the service was extended to four additional schools beginning in February, 2015.

With generous financial support from the Lamar Bruni Vergara Charitable Trust, the TAMIU-LBV Literacy Partnership expanded to multiple schools in both Laredo public school districts, with five Centers operating in 2015. Subsequent federal funding allowed for expansion to additional schools in later years. The Partnership proudly hosted AmeriCorps members as tutors from 2016-2018.