Kentucky Reading Project
Kentucky Reading Project (KRP)
The mission of the Kentucky Reading Project is to increase student achievement and family engagement in literacy by empowering P-5 teachers to design and implement comprehensive, research-based instruction driven by the ongoing assessment of diverse learners’ needs.
During KRP, teachers learn best practices in literacy instruction while participating in a professional learning community that positions them for leadership roles in their school, district and the state. They increase their effectiveness as teachers by expanding their knowledge base and deepening their understanding of best practices in literacy instruction as they develop and implement a Literacy Action Plan in their classrooms.
Essential Components of the Kentucky Reading Project
- Apply Theory and Research to Meet the Needs of All Students
- Address Equity and Diversity Issues and Their Impact on Literacy Instruction
- Provide Assistance to Striving Readers
- Use Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition Strategies to Develop Fluency
- Identify Processes and Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension
- Integrate and Understand the Relationship of Reading and Writing
- Teach Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
- Emphasize Family Engagement in Literacy
- Use Formal and Informal Assessment to Guide Instruction
- Design and Manage a Balanced Literacy Approach
Learn more about the history of the Kentucky Reading Project
Application Process
Complete the application
- Each applicant will write a personal statement (one to three pages) that includes
the following:
- Why you want to participate in KRP
- Your professional development/graduate experiences related to literacy over the past three years
- A brief statement about professional books you have recently read • How you involve the families of your students in literacy
- Any other useful information that would qualify you as a candidate for KRP
- Ask your principal to complete the enclosed “Principal’s Recommendation for KRP” with a reminder that this form is due xxxxx and should be sent to the KRP director at your first choice site.
- If your school’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan addresses literacy, please include a copy of these specific pages with your application.
- Email the full application to Christina Grant at cgrant4@murraystate.edu
Counts for 3 graduate credits applied to your Murray State graduate degree or can be transferred.
Contact information for Murray State University KRP
Directors: Christina Grant, PhD., Associate professor in the College of Education
cgrant4@murraystate.edu
Holly Bloodworth, Instructor, Elementary Education Program, 2013 Kentucky Teacher
of the Year
hbloodworth@murraystate.edu
Quotes from students
“After KRP I definitely thought more. I was more intentional about my planning and I didn’t rely as much on the textbook and what the teacher’s edition told me to do. I relied on my knowledge and my experiences from the project” (Gobin, 2021).
“I was always a reader so I knew the literacy part of it, I knew how to read and I knew how I thought it should be taught. But when I went through KRP, I realized that there was a whole lot more to it. It’s like that meme where you see the volcano or the glacier, and above the water, it doesn’t look very dangerous. But underneath is all of the other stuff. That’s what KRP did for me–it opened up the other stuff for me to dive into” (Stoltz).
“KRP increased my confidence in my ability to teach literacy.I think I felt like I understood what the philosophy and almost the science behind it more. So I felt I was having fun teaching strategies, but I also had the knowledge of the why behind it a lot more so I felt more confident for sure” (Martin).
“I think one of the biggest things it did for me was it sort of reignited a passion for teaching…going through the program, learning what I learned, and being around a community of people who love learning about reading…the advice and encouragement is just incredible…trust me, it’s worth your time” (Martin).
“We had a great group of people, our instructors were wonderful, and we learned a lot of different strategies. It was a lot of work and you need to be there to dig in, to get to learn something. But it was wonderful” (Quetermous).
“I tell every new teacher that comes through that KRP is where they need to start. It’s a great place to start graduate work. It’s a great place to network. It;s a great place to learn and cut your teeth and get ready, especially at the elementary level, to really learn how to teach literacy in the classroom today” (Stark).
“Long term the program has given me the confidence to try new things and stick with what’s working and not be afraid to do something else” (Campbell)
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone. I prefer to be quiet and kind of stick to myself, and it forced me to go out of that…it was a fun experience and I would definitely do it again and recommend it to anybody” (Michael Reid Thomas)
“It wasn’t until going through KRP that I really felt comfortable in my content knowledge and the variety of methods to really be successful with my literacy instruction” (Kristi Nelson, 5th grade teacher, Livingston County Schools)
“I would rate it a 10. This was one of the best professional development opportunities I ever participated in throughout the course of my teaching career. It provided resources and strategies that could be implemented into my classroom immediately. I wish that you could participate in this program more than once” (Young).