Javorsky receives first MSU College of Education endowed professorship
Contact: Bethany Shipp
STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State’s Kristin Javorsky is making history as the first faculty member to receive an endowed professorship within the College of Education.
An associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, Javorsky is the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Susan McLaren Brooks Endowed Elementary Education Professorship. It was established by the family of the late Laren Brooks to honor the memory of the devoted Mississippi school teacher.
“I am deeply grateful to the Brooks family for their generous support in establishing the Dr. Susan McLaren Brooks Endowed Elementary Education Professorship,” said Teresa Jayroe, dean of the College of Education. “This endowment will allow Dr. Javorsky to further her impactful work in advancing literacy across our state. The Brooks’ generosity is a testament to the value of education and the power of community support in shaping the future of our students. We look forward to seeing the positive influence this professorship will have on our elementary education students for years to come.”
Javorsky has made significant contributions to promote literacy among Mississippi communities through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and partnerships with the Mississippi Department of Education and local school districts. She aims to use the professorship to further her work in communities and bring the best science- and research-based literacy strategies to the teacher workforce.
“I want to find innovative ways to incorporate reading science in elementary teacher preparation so that we can raise student achievement and instill lifelong learning,” Javorsky said. “Mississippi has made tremendous gains over the last decade, but we still have work to do. I hope to build collaborative partnerships that foster community engagement and equip our students to promote literacy in our communities.”
Javorsky is a coprincipal investigator of a U.S. Agency for International Development grant focused on developing standardized teacher preparation curriculum for Liberia. She also was the principal investigator of the U.S. Department of Education grant “Read to Learn, Learn to Do,” which included after-school enrichment and community-based programs with a strong focus on literacy.
“Everything we do in life stems from knowing how to read,” Javorsky said. “It takes an entire community to raise our readers. Teachers need empowerment, and families need support to promote literacy.”
Javorsky obtained her doctorate in educational studies with emphasis in language, literacy and culture, and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida. Among her many professional service activities, she is an executive board member of the Mississippi Council of Teachers of English and has served on the board of the Mississippi Higher Education Literacy Council.
MSU’s College of Education is home to five academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at www.educ.msstate.edu.
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