Literacy for All

Ruth Parker Graves, BA ’56, had a heart for service and a love for people. In 1976, after working in the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations, she took the reins of a small volunteer organization called Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). Over the next 20 years, she led a transformation that established the program as the nation’s largest children’s literacy organizations. Today, RIF reaches more than 24.7 million children with 4.8 million books and reading resources distributed every year. Graves also spearheaded the effort to unite RIF with other children-oriented programs, including the Head Start program, and she established the National Book Program in conjunction with the U.S. Congress and the Department of Education. 

Graves sought corporate sponsorships with the likes of the National Basketball Association, recruiting NBA stars to convince kids that reading was fun. Under Graves’ leadership, RIF expanded its focus to reaching children in a multitude of settings including Native American reservations, hospitals and GED programs.  

Baylor has a long history of preparing leaders who choose teaching as a profession. Since its inception as an independent academic unit within Baylor University in 1919, the School of Education (SOE) has trained its students to advance one of the most trusted professions, as identified by Gallup, in the U.S. and beyond. 

SOE’s undergraduate teacher-education program produces graduates who become leaders in education, whether in classroom teaching or administrative roles. Baylor graduates have earned certification exam pass rates of 98% or higher over the past five years. The Texas State Board for Educator Certification recognized Baylor in both “Rigorous and Robust Preparation” and “Preparing the Educators Texas Needs” for teacher shortage areas within the state. 

The program also has been recognized for its unique faculty-guided fieldwork that equips graduates from their freshman to senior years with the tools for success in their chosen educational area. Baylor teachers are among the most sought after in the region with more than 98% of undergraduates in teacher-education programs finding positions within six months of graduation. 

Offering one of the longest running programs in Baylor’s history, the School of Education continues to innovate as it prepares graduates for the ever-changing needs of our state, nation and the world.