Scholarship honors Walker

Gov. Olene Walker's mantra, "Read with a child 20 minutes every day," is a window sticker in Emily Swan's car.

Swan, a clinical professor for the University of Utah Department of Teaching and Learning, knows firsthand the importance of literacy. She has taught adults and children, and now she teaches teachers.

"If people can read, they can do anything," Swan said. "They free themselves by becoming literate."

Swan was among about 350 people who attended a $150-per-plate gala titled "A Legacy of Learning — A Tribute to Olene Walker: 'The governor who makes us read,' " Wednesday at the Grand America Hotel.

The event served as a fund-raiser for the new "Olene Walker Reading and Literacy Legacy Scholarship," which will help K-3 teachers pursue Utah Level 1 Reading Endorsements.

"I couldn't ask for a greater tribute," Walker said of the scholarship, which will be managed by the University of Utah College of Education.

Walker said it's critical to address the needs of every student — including an increasing number of English language learners — and get children reading at grade level by the third grade.

"Even to do math, you have to read," Walker said. "There's just no question. Reading is the basic skill. If you don't read you are in trouble."

A portrait of the former governor, which will be displayed at the state Capitol, was unveiled at the event, as was a children's book, "The Adventures of Norton and U," designed to get children thinking about college early on. A Spanish-language version is being developed.

The evening reading endorsement program will consist of 21 graduate credit hours to be completed in two years or less. It is designed to be a part-time program so students can continue teaching as they earn their certificates.

David J. Sperry, dean of the U. College of Education, said Walker completed her doctorate at the U. with a straight "A" average in all her major department courses.

"Students who do not fully develop reading and literacy skills by grade 3 are at a disadvantage as they move into the upper primary grades," Sperry said. "Without a firm foundation in reading, these students will soon fall behind in other disciplines such as social studies, history and mathematics."

Swan pointed to a National Research Council study that showed students who don't read at grade level by the end of third grade have a 1-in-20 chance to catch up.

Having more reading specialists is important, she said, so more teachers will be empowered with the tools they need to teach students to read. It's telling, she said, that most of the state's prison inmates are functionally illiterate.