Duquesne, Peirce Family Foundation & Diocese Tackling Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities
A new partnership between the School of Education and the Peirce Family Foundation will help 20 elementary school teachers in Pittsburgh’s Catholic Diocese focus on the distinct needs of students dealing with dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
Founded by 1962 law graduate Robert N. Peirce, Jr. and his wife Joan, the foundation has provided a gift of more than $380,000 to support Duquesne scholarships for the Diocese participants. Paired with the School of Education’s tuition discount, the teachers incur no tuition expense. Classes began on May 13 for the “Peirce Scholars,” who will earn a master’s degree in the two-year Graduate Reading and Literacy Education program.
“The Peirce’s dedication to this issue led them to Duquesne’s renowned School of Education, where they are literally changing how Duquesne and this region will be addressing the challenge of childhood dyslexia on a wide scale,” said President Ken Gormley. “This is an amazing, life-changing opportunity for these teachers and, more importantly, for the countless children, whose lives they’ll transform.”
When the superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh initially discussed this opportunity at Duquesne, more than 100 teachers expressed interest. A policy has since been adopted by the superintendent requiring that teachers educated through the Peirce Scholars program commit to remain a teacher in the Pittsburgh Diocese for at least three years after earning their degree.
“The impact that this will have on students who are struggling with reading is far reaching since it is almost impossible to excel in any subject without a firm foundation in reading,” said Duquesne Education Dean Dr. Cindy Walker Ringel. “We expect that, over the proposed two-year timeline, there will be one reading specialist for every school in the Diocese.”
A gift of nearly $70,000 from the Peirce Family Foundation will significantly expand the impact and outreach of the Duquesne University Reading Clinic, which has provided support to children and their parents for 55 years. This funding will allow for more tutors to be trained in structured literacy approaches consistent with standards of the International Dyslexia Association. In turn, these tutors will work with an increased number of dyslexic children throughout the next calendar year.
“The Peirce Family Foundation’s generous gift enables the Duquesne University Reading Clinic to provide additional services to students with dyslexia and reading disabilities, including working toward eliminating the client waiting and maintaining a minimal cost to families,” said Associate Professor Dr. Carla Meyer, who is director of reading and literacy education at the clinic.
