BOONE, N.C. — The Mebane Charitable Foundation has donated $100,000 to Appalachian State University to fund the expansion of reading assistance services for K–3 students in Watauga and Catawba counties.

These services will provide critical literacy resources to local families, building on the model established at the Anderson Reading Clinic — which is located in the Reich College of Education (RCOE) on the university’s Boone campus and is the oldest university-based reading clinic in North Carolina.

“At App State, literacy education has been at the core of our work for 125 years,” said RCOE Dean Melba Spooner. “The Mebane Foundation’s generous gift allows us to not only sustain that legacy but to expand it, improving literacy outcomes for greater numbers of children across North Carolina.”

Spooner said the new offerings are a direct response to increasing demand for spots in the Anderson Reading Clinic and provide access to reading support for students whose families are unable to transport them to the clinic site on the Boone campus.

The broader reach of these services will significantly increase the number of children and families able to access assistance.

The funding is being used to purchase technology and reading materials, as well as to provide professional development opportunities for staff.

In addition, this donation will support the development of a digital learning channel, which will be a repository of literacy education materials. The content will be designed for education students at App State but will also be made available to the more than 10,000 App State alumni working in education across the state.

Serving communities and equipping educators

In partnership with Watauga County Schools and the Mebane Foundation, App State is providing reading assistance services for K–3 students on-site at Hardin Park and Cove Creek schools.

To extend services to students in the Catawba Valley, the university plans to replicate the Boone campus’s Anderson Reading Clinic at the App State Hickory campus.

In addition to offering reading assistance to children in local communities, the network of literacy support services will provide opportunities for hands-on instructional experience for Reich College undergraduate and graduate students.

“We are fortunate to have the distinct opportunity to serve children and families in our local communities while providing valuable, real-world experience for our education students through these clinical experiences,” said Dr. Woodrow Trathen, chair of App State’s Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education.

To provide this reading assistance, App State students work in small groups and one-on-one with local K–3 children to strengthen their reading, writing and spelling skills and to increase the children’s confidence when engaging with written material. App State literacy faculty are on-site to monitor and provide assistance to education students working with children.

Through these teaching experiences, App State students become familiar with instruction that aligns with the science of reading, the Comprehensive University of North Carolina System Literacy Framework and the North Carolina Literacy Instruction Standards, according to Trathen.

“The Mebane Foundation’s support is not only an investment in childhood literacy today but an investment in childhood literacy for years to come, as App State graduates take the skills developed through their work in the clinical teaching experiences into their careers as educators,” Trathen said.

About the Mebane Charitable Foundation

Established in 1998 by George Allen Mebane IV — founder of Unifi Inc. — the Mebane Charitable Foundation provides funding to promote partnerships among educational and community leaders for the improvement of early childhood education, with a special focus on reading education.

“At the Mebane Foundation, we believe that reading skills are the foundation of all educational success,” said Larry Colbourne, president of the foundation. “We are proud to invest in the future of literacy education through our partnership with App State.”

The Mebane Foundation has awarded more than $25 million in grants to educational partners throughout North Carolina.

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About the Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education

The Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education, housed in App State's Reich College of Education, offers innovative baccalaureate and graduate degree programs that focus on all facets of child development, reading, writing and language arts, as well as specific areas of special education. These programs provide coursework and field experiences in a variety of settings and can lead to licensure. Learn more at https://clse.appstate.edu.

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About University Advancement

Appalachian State University’s Division of University Advancement supports and encourages the university’s mission by engaging alumni, friends and the greater community. University Advancement staff help connect these constituents with Appalachian through one-on-one contact and special programming, thereby securing the resources necessary to create the best possible learning environment for Appalachian students and to positively impact the community, region and state. The division incorporates the offices of Alumni Affairs, Development and the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. Learn more at http://give.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.