February 17, 2026

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Laura Brelsford | hcnews@hawks.huntingdon.edu | (334) 833-4563

Huntingdon Teacher Education Program Receives Alabama Reading Initiative Grant

Montgomery, AL – The Huntingdon College Teacher Education Program has been awarded a $20,000 Alabama Reading Initiative Grant to enhance implementation of the Alabama Literacy Act. The grant was offered to support initiatives that improve quality, relevance, and effectiveness, ultimately preparing students for literacy success. Huntingdon’s Teacher Education Program is one of twenty-four preparatory programs in the state that were also allowed to apply for the grant. From the funding, Huntingdon Teacher Education students will receive access to workshops and additional classroom resources to expand their learning opportunities in their training to enter the education field. 

Huntingdon Associate Professor of Teacher Education Dr. Kristin Zimbelman is the lead faculty on the courses and programs that will see the most benefit from the grant funds. Students enrolled in Reading 1, Reading 2, Language Arts for Elementary Teachers, and Content Literacy courses will now have an expanded library of books and multi-sensory training tools to actively use in class and to take into placement classrooms for hands-on learning. In addition to their course work, the Content Literacy class will also use the books and tools to organize and run a Montgomery area Battle of the Books program for third and fourth graders. The reading incentive program is a nationwide activity designed to encourage reading and reading comprehension in a team environment. Huntingdon students will organize the activities and support their designated teams leading up to a final competition.

As the College’s Teacher Education Program continues to grow, with larger cohorts expected in the coming years, the opportunity to expand the resources in the program, specifically toward reading initiatives, will offer Huntingdon students enhanced learning experiences, and by extension, offer Huntingdon elementary classroom partners access to the programing through their Huntingdon student-teachers.

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