UTC senior Kendell Wedekind shares a high five with a Brown Academy student during a UTC Literacy First Student Tutors session. Photo provided by Dr. Yvette Stewart.
A kindergartner at Brown Academy no longer needs daily literacy support.
That milestone matters not just for the child but for a new pilot program taking shape just down the block from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus, one designed to strengthen early literacy while giving future teachers something many never get before student teaching: sustained, in-class practice with young readers during the school day.
The child became the first “graduate” of the UTC Literacy First Student Tutors pilot program—one of 15 kindergarten and first-grade students currently being served—after demonstrating consistent progress and independence in early reading skills.
Graduation, in this context, does not come with a cap or gown. It means a student has received targeted, small-group literacy support, been assessed weekly and has reached a point where that additional support is no longer needed.
In this case, graduation signified a sustained pattern of accelerated growth in foundational literacy skills, with the student consistently meeting or exceeding progress-monitoring benchmarks and no longer requiring Literacy First intervention support.
“That is the goal for every child in this program,” explained Dr. Yvette Stewart, literacy director for the UTC Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education and assistant professor in the School of Education. “First, we graduate them, and then we can pick up new students who need that extra support.”
The UTC Literacy First Student Tutors program began at the start of the 2025-26 academic year and placed five undergraduate teacher candidates in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms at Brown Academy.
The student tutors receive a tuition scholarship and spend about 10 hours each week at the school—roughly two hours a day—while completing intensive, research-based literacy training.
As part of committing to the program for a full academic year, they receive weekly coaching support from members of the Literacy First team and UTC faculty.
That structure is already producing results, Stewart said. At this point in the academic year, the young children participating in the pilot are showing expected growth in literacy—an early indicator that they are responding well to the support.
Hope Doane works one-on-one with a young student during a reading tutoring session. Photo provided by Dr. Yvette Stewart.
Unlike traditional after-school tutoring programs, the Literacy First Student Tutors pilot is embedded directly into the school day and coordinated with classroom teachers.
The experience is designed to run parallel to students’ coursework in the School of Education. As teacher candidates learn evidence-based literacy strategies in class, they immediately apply them with young readers—often one-on-one or in small groups—while receiving ongoing feedback and coaching.
“It’s a really nice parallel,” Stewart said. “They’re learning things in class and in their coursework, and they have the ability to apply it one-on-one with small children or young readers.”
That same-day connection between learning and practice has stood out for the UTC students involved.
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience being in the program and being able to apply that coursework immediately from the classes that we take,” said Hope Doane, a senior elementary education major pursuing English as a second language licensure. “So it’s been pretty meaningful.”
Doane, who transferred to UTC from Cleveland State Community College, said she spends most mornings at Brown Academy before heading to her UTC classes or student teaching placements. Her schedule reflects the balancing act that many student tutors navigate.
She said the nature of the tutoring has reshaped how she thinks about instruction.
“When it’s one-on-one, it’s a lot easier to give them your full attention versus having a classroom with 25 students,” Doane said. “It’s easier to give them that support.”
Kendell Wedekind, a senior elementary education major from Nashville, said the timing of the pilot has been especially impactful for her.
Wedekind is student teaching full-time this spring at Brown Academy while also participating in Literacy First for a second semester, often tutoring students in her mentor teacher’s classroom.
“I didn’t feel very confident beforehand in actually teaching. I hadn’t had that much experience, so being able to tutor last semester and student teach at the same time built my confidence a lot,” Wedekind said.
That kind of work requires constant adjustments.
“Being able to change what I’m doing to suit those kids better, I’ve learned a lot about how to think quickly and change things,” she said.
Stewart said the pilot program grew out of work within the UTC Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education and the School of Education, and it builds on a renewed partnership with Brown Academy.
“The program reflects collaboration among multiple partners, including Hamilton County Schools, Chattanooga 2.0 and UTC faculty,” she said. “It is a think tank where we’re bringing lots of people together.”
Stewart, who spent nearly three decades in public education before coming to UTC in 2024, said the program aligns closely with what drew her to her role at the University.
“It is truly the opportunity for students to understand the power of literacy, the complexity of it, and how to apply what they’ve learned directly in the classroom,” she explained.
“I don’t think people really understand how complex teaching literacy is. Teachers need development, support and authentic practice to develop the skillset that’s necessary to really be an effective literacy instructor.”
While the pilot is still in its first year, Stewart said the focus right now is studying the model: what works, what can be strengthened and how the experience can be expanded.
“This program allows our students to learn on the ground and support the school,” Stewart said. “They’re learning and improving, and the students benefit, too.”
Wedekind agreed, saying the experience has brought clarity to her—both about teaching and about herself.
“I’ve learned that it’s OK to make mistakes and figure things out,” she said. “I’ve learned that I can be uncomfortable in situations and that’s OK, and that the kids are uncomfortable at times, too.
“And I’ve truly learned that I love teaching. This is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m called to do.”
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