APSU’s new Center for Literacy secures over $50K in grants to support young readers

By: Megan Simpson October 19, 2026

Dr. Zack Barnes, an associate professor of literacy in APSU’s Eriksson College of Education, in the newly established Center for Literacy. | Photo by Sean McCully

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay State University's Eriksson College of Education has established the Center for Literacy, a new initiative bridging evidence-based research with classroom practice to strengthen literacy instruction for students from birth through 12th grade across the region.

Under the direction of Dr. Zack Barnes, the Center for Literacy will serve as a hub for K-12 educators, teacher candidates, and researchers committed to improving student outcomes through proven instructional strategies.

"Effective literacy instruction must be grounded in research, but too often there's a gap between what we know works and what actually happens in classrooms," Barnes said. "Our goal is to close that gap by preparing better educators, partnering directly with schools and communities, and investing in the research that moves the field forward."

Three objectives guide the center’s work: strengthening the preparation of future teachers by embedding evidence-based reading strategies into APSU's curriculum, partnering with schools and community organizations to support literacy development at all ages, and advancing literacy research through structured opportunities for the region’s teachers, as well as APSU faculty and students.

Dr. John McConnell III, dean of the Eriksson College of Education, emphasized the center's role in addressing critical educational needs throughout the region.

"Literacy is foundational to everything else students will learn," McConnell said. "By launching the Center for Literacy, we're making a commitment to our community that Austin Peay will be a leader in preparing teachers who understand foundational reading instruction and can put it into practice."

The Center for Literacy joins a growing network of specialized resources within the Eriksson College of Education, including the Center for Rural Education, the Full Spectrum Learning Center, the Furniture Connection EdTech Studio, and the Jack Hunt STEM Center.

Programs for educators and students

The center plans to give K-12 teachers access to on-site professional development presentations, hyperlocal conferences on timely literacy topics, and visits with children's book authors.

"We want to develop literacy leaders in our community," Barnes said. "These opportunities give teachers the time, support, and resources to become experts in an area that matters to them and then share that expertise with their peers."

Additionally, the center has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Montgomery County to maintain a curated collection of children's literature for use in coursework and lesson planning, and it is building a repository of literacy-related assessments and data that doctoral students may access for dissertation research.

More than $50K in grant funding

Three grants secured this year will put the center’s mission into practice, funding reading intervention, author visits, and free books for students in local school systems. Students in APSU’s own education courses will also benefit.

A $49,884 grant from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation will fund the Govs Literacy Fellows Program, a yearlong initiative placing APSU education students in second-grade classrooms at four Title I schools across Montgomery, Robertson, and Cheatham counties. Fellows will spend three hours each week leading small-group reading intervention and enrichment activities for roughly 500 students at Westside, West Cheatham, Norman Smith, and Kenwood elementaries. Each participating student will take home a free book.

Second-graders at Minglewood Elementary will also receive an author visit and free books through a $3,000 grant from Dollar General.

The Using Historical Fiction Novels to Engage Readers project, funded through a $2,500 APSU Student Academic Success Initiative grant, will incorporate historical fiction novels in various Eriksson College of Education courses. Sharon Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Bluebird, will give a lecture for these students in early December. Barnes is working with Dr. Charles Gonzalez, education associate professor, to launch this student-centered project this fall.

About the Director

Barnes earned his Ph.D. in Literacy Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. Before joining APSU, he served as a middle school special education teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools, an experience that shapes his commitment to supporting struggling readers. His research focuses on reading development and executive function. He has contributed expert commentary on literacy and special education to national outlets including Newsweek, HuffPost, and Fox News. His new textbook, Executive Skills and Early Childhood Education: Developing Self-Regulation in Young Children, will be released this December through Guilford Press.

Learn More

Schools, districts, nonprofits, and community organizations interested in partnering with the Center for Literacy or scheduling professional development can contact Barnes at barnesz@apsu.edu or 931-221-6469. The center is located in the Claxton Building Room 300, on the APSU campus.

For more information, visit apsu.edu/education/center-for-literacy.