¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ College of Education Earns National Recognition for Preparing Teachers to Teach Reading
Elementary education program achieves top marks in new national report
EL PASO, Texas (June 25, 2026) – The undergraduate program for elementary teacher preparation at The University of Texas at El Paso has earned an A+ from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). This grade recognizes how well the program prepares future teachers to teach reading to elementary students.
The June report, , spotlights the College of Education for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for effective methods of reading instruction. Specifically, the program is preparing teachers in all five components of scientifically based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, and avoids many instructional practices that research has shown to be ineffective or counterproductive for teaching children to read.
“I am proud that the College of Education is providing exceptional literacy instruction, one of the most important commitments we can make to our students, families and community,” said Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., dean of the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ College of Education. “Reading is the foundation for all future learning, and we need to get it right early on in a child’s education.”
A child’s ability to read proficiently in the early grades shapes everything that comes next in school and in life, yet according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, four in ten fourth graders in Texas cannot read at a basic level.
“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but The University of Texas at El Paso is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”
NCTQ’s methodology is informed by a panel of reading experts, teacher preparation faculty, reading advocates and measurement experts. To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, background reading materials, class assessments, assignments and opportunities to practice instruction in required literacy courses.
To earn an “A,” programs needed to demonstrate that coursework for future elementary teachers includes all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction and abstain from teaching more than three instructional methods that are unsupported by the research on effective reading instruction. To earn an A+, programs needed to exceed those targets and not teach any instructional practices that are unsupported by research.
Last Updated on June 25, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published June 25, 2026
By MC Staff ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Marketing and Communications
