Acknowledgments

This book chapter about Woodland Acres Elementary would not have been possible without the foresight, dedication, and determination of numerous people at the University of North Florida (UNF) and in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). Third author UNF Emerita Professor Lynne Raiser was a trailblazer in developing and requiring clinically rich field experiences as part of the UNF and DCPS university-school partnership. When I arrived at UNF in 2004 and was given Lynne’s past syllabus for a reading methods for learners with exceptionalities course that required teacher candidates to tutor struggling readers under her direct guidance and supervision, I knew that I was hired into something that was very unique and yet brilliant. Although I was not certain how I was going to prepare candidates to teach a child to read as they were learning methods to teach reading, I knew that this requirement was a missing piece in teacher preparation. I was given not only the opportunity, but the responsibility of ensuring each candidate who enrolled in my courses to teach a young child to read. Thus, if the candidates other field experiences were with students who already acquired or were refining this critical skill, I was to make certain that each candidate who completed my courses successfully experienced teaching beginning reading.