Mount St. Joseph University Master of Reading Science Student, Julie Rowen, Receives the Literacy Excellence Educator Award at the Indiana Educational Excellence Awards Gala
Congratulations to Julie Rowen on receiving the Literacy Excellence Educator Award at the Indiana Educational Excellence Awards Gala. Julie is a current student in the Master of Reading Science program at Mount St. Joseph University and a Literacy Coach at Creekside Elementary in the Franklin Community Schools district in Franklin, Indiana.
Julie shared the following reflection on this milestone achievement:
“I wanted to share with all of you my greatest professional accomplishment in nearly 28 years in education. Last weekend I was honored with a Literacy Excellence Educator Award at the Indiana Educational Excellence Awards Gala.
To say I was honored and humbled seems cliche, but it is true. Two and a half years ago when my district became a part of the Indiana Literacy Cadre, and I began working with Stefany as my coach, I really had no idea what to expect. I was introduced to experts like Jamey, Dr. Stollar, and so many more. Stephanie taught me so much, and really fueled my passion for using research to guide literacy education in my school and within my district, which is why just a few years away from retirement, I decided to begin coursework at MSJ to earn my Masters in Reading Science. Who knew there was still SO MUCH MORE to learn! Each week I have something new that I want to share with my administrators and staff. I love it!
Thank you, Stephanie and Jamey for being my inspirations! And thank you all for your guidance and support.” Julie Rowen, MSJ Master of Reading Science Student
Continue reading below to find out more about Julie Rowen, her career in education, and her dedication to literacy.
I began my teaching career at Creekside Elementary in the Franklin Community Schools district in Franklin, Indiana in 1998 after graduating from Ball State University. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and received a Kindergarten Endorsement.
After transitioning out of the classroom with 20 years of teaching experience, including four years in third grade and 16 years in Kindergarten, I spent five years as the Instructional Coach in my building. As our school’s Instructional Coach, I helped our new teachers as they embarked on a teaching career, taking care to support them towards teaching excellence. I also collaborated with teachers of all experience levels, working with them as a colleague using the Jim Knight Instructional Coaching model.
For the past 2 and a 1/2 years, my coaching has shifted to a focus on literacy. I was fortunate enough to receive 2 years of intensive training from Marian University through the Indiana Literacy Cadre on the Science of Reading research and principles.
My primary roles as a Literacy Coach have included providing professional development to teachers on the research behind the Science of Reading, helping teachers implement Orton-Gillingman lessons with explicit, systematic instruction, modeling lessons for teachers, and offering feedback to help them improve upon their instructional strategies and routines. I am also still able to work with students from time to time by delivering instruction to classrooms, in small groups, or in a 1-1 setting. I work with our teachers on collecting and analyzing data to plan instruction, and work with our intervention teams to ensure they have the data needed to plan Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. All of this work culminated in a 95% IREAD Passing Rate in 2024-2025 with 56% of our student body receiving free/reduced lunches.
I am currently finishing up year 1 of a 2-year Master’s Program in Reading Science at Mount St. Joseph. I look forward to continuing my education with MSJ and applying my knowledge to the day-to-day literacy instruction at Creekside Elementary School.
Congratulations, Julie, on this well-deserved recognition and your unwavering dedication to literacy excellence!