Pictured above from left to right: Texas Wesleyan School of Education Dean Carlos Martinez, Elsa Anderson, Texas Wesleyan Trustee Alice Puente, Lisa Dryden.

Lisa Dryden, Ph.D. and Elsa Anderson, Ph.D., faculty from the School of Education, received the Quest for Quality Award: Exemplary School Partnership. The Texas Association of Teacher Education in conjunction with the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education presented the award to the professors at the organization’s annual conference in San Antonio.

For this community project, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Dryden collaborated with Alice Puente, Texas Wesleyan University Trustee and with Fort Worth SPARC (Strengthen After-School Programs through Advocacy, Resources and Collaboration) and at their request, developed a literacy program that became the ELITE (Excellent Literacy Instruction to Empower) Institute. This partnership proved successful for all participants.

The ELITE Institute was created and implemented twice during summer of 2018. One goal for the institute is to provide professional development to teachers from Fort Worth ISD and other neighboring districts and organizations. The ultimate goal of the ELITE Institute is to stop the literacy “summer slide” that often occurs when students are away from school. 

Dr. Anderson and Dr. Dryden are honored to receive the Quest for Quality Award and excited to bring this state recognition to Texas Wesleyan University. They look forward to continuing this successful partnership.

About the award

The Quest for Quality Award was created to identify best teaching practices and make them well known. Texas universities are invited to nominate exemplary teacher candidates, faculty, practices, programs, partnerships, and research for recognition by the project.