College of Education Now Prepares Teachers in the Science of Reading

“Before this law, we were a whole-language state, now we are committed to the science of reading. We have done a complete 180,” says Stacy Smith, an assistant commissioner at the Arkansas Department of Education. By 2021, every elementary and special education teacher in the state of Arkansas must be proficient in brain-based research on reading.This new mandate has led some colleges of education to change instruction to prepare prospective teachers.