MORGANTOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia University Extension’s Energy Express program has been awarded a $50,000 grant to enhance literacy instruction for elementary-aged children.
The funding, provided by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, will support the launch of the Energy Express Literacy Leaders program.
The new initiative will engage up to 10 certified teachers, who serve as site supervisors, in an action research project.
The project focuses on improving early literacy through carefully designed activity plans.
“This grant will allow us to review and enhance our high-quality programming and instruction, as well as foster deep learning and creative exploration, thereby closing academic and opportunity gaps,” said Melissa Calabrese, director of Energy Express.
As part of the program, site supervisors will participate in monthly meetings and enroll in graduate-level literacy education coursework at WVU, working towards becoming certified reading specialists.
The initiative aims to equip them with advanced teaching skills, benefiting both Energy Express students and their own classrooms during the school year.
Participants will also conduct research based on the Energy Express curriculum, focusing on specific lesson plan areas such as writing or art.
The findings will be presented at the annual Energy Express conference in the summer of 2025.
In addition, each teacher will have a “thought partner” from their school—either an administrator or fellow educator—who will offer support and feedback throughout the research process.
Energy Express, which operates in 48 sites across 26 West Virginia counties, serves around 2,000 children each summer to help maintain and improve literacy levels.
The program’s mission is especially critical, as only 44% of fourth graders in West Virginia achieved proficient reading levels in the 2022-2023 school year.
The first cohort of Literacy Leaders will share their research at a kickoff meeting in June 2025, with the aim of applying these insights to enrich classroom instruction across the state.
