Elizabeth (Betsy) VanDeusen, PhD

Director, Augusta University Literacy Center

  • Augusta GA UNITED STATES

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Spotlight

2 min

Post-pandemic, can America's kids catch up on lackluster literacy rates?

When COVID-19 hit, the education system nearly came to a halt. It went from in-person education in classrooms to virtual learning. Everyone knew there would be learning losses across the board. The question was how severe would they be and could those losses be mitigated? Literacy rates took a big hit, especially in younger students. Without in-classroom instruction, children started to fall further behind. According to the New York Times, about a third of children in the youngest grades are missing reading benchmarks, which is up significantly from before the pandemic. While every demographic has been affected, Black and Hispanic children and those from low-income families have fallen the furthest behind. Can anything be done to help students catch up? Betsy VanDeusen, PhD, director of the Augusta University Literacy Center, said a lot of research is coming out now and what’s being called “high dosage tutoring” is the way kids can catch up. “That just means you have to be able to see students more and more intensive,” said VanDeusen. “So we request for the kids that are at the lowest that we see them three times a week; one time a week won’t do it.” While that works on an individual basis, VanDeusen said there’s no magic bullet. While some schools here and there, and even a few states, may have found a way to help with literacy rates, the field continues to search for ways to implement needed changes across the entire educational system to support all students. She also added the decline in literacy actually started before the pandemic. “We’ve lost a tremendous amount. We lost 20 years of growth on the one national test that’s given. The achievement gap has been documented for decades and it has just been made worse.” This is an important topic and if you're a journalist covering education or how the impacts of COVID-19 are still being felt across the country, then let us help with your coverage. Betsy VanDeusen, PhD, director of Augusta University’s Literacy Center, is available to speak with reporters, simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

Elizabeth (Betsy) VanDeusen, PhD

Multimedia

Social

Areas of Expertise

Interdisciplinary Instruction
Communities of Practice
Literacy

Accomplishments

CMU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Internal Grant, New Research Initiative Grant, “Using Authentic Collaborative Projects to Support Technology Integration"

2013 - 2014

CEHS Faculty Scholarship Grant, “Facilitating a Teacher-in-Residence Program”

2012 - 2013

CMU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Internal Grant, Early Career Investigator, “Understanding the Work of Technical Assistance Providers”

2011 - 2012

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Education

Oakland University

Ph.D.

Reading Education, Instructional Technology

2009

Eastern Michigan University

B.S.

Emotional Impairment

Eastern Michigan University

M.A.

Learning Disabilities

Affiliations

  • International Literacy Association : Member
  • The Reading League : Member
  • National School Reform Faculty : Member
  • American Educational Research Association : Member

Media Appearances

Back-to-school drives make the difference for Augusta families

WRDW  tv

2024-07-27

It’s a little over a week from kids going back to school in Richmond and Columbia County.

With the new school year approaching, backpacks and school supplies are in high demand for many families.

RISE Augusta and Smile for Shay Foundation partnered up for the annual Back to School at The Hub & Books for Shay Event at The Hub for Community Innovation on Saturday.

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Back to School/Books for Shay

WRDW  tv

2024-07-24

Betsy VanDeusen from Augusta University's Paulette Harris Literacy Center talks about the upcoming back to school/Books for Shay giveaway event at the Hub

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JENNIE: Harris Literacy Center plays important role in helping kids and adults read proficiently

WJBF  tv

2024-05-28

We’re talking about something today that is a big problem, not just in our community, but in society: literacy.

Dr. Betsy VanDeusen, the director of the Harris Literacy Center, commonly known as the AU Literacy Center, is with us today to talk about steps we can take right here in the River Region to ensure that all children and adults know how to read.

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Answers

Can students catch up on lack-luster literacy rates post-pandemic? 
Elizabeth (Betsy) VanDeusen, PhD

There's a lot of research that shows high dosage tutoring can help. That just means you have to be able to see the students more and more intensive. So we request the kids at the lowest to see us three times a week. One time a week won't do it. 

Articles

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Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas

2021

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The Scholarly Teacher

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