Moorhead Receives 2026 Minnesota’s Future Award
Minnesota State Moorhead’s Nibbe School of Teaching & Learning has received the 2026 Minnesota’s Future Award from Minnesota Business Partnership. The award recognizes Moorhead’s leadership in preparing future teachers to deliver evidence-based reading instruction through its Literacy Lab pilot program.
Led by Dr. Erin Gillett, Moorhead was the first Minnesota Literacy Lab pilot site. Eight Early Literacy Fellows provided 637 one-on-one tutoring sessions to 59 Moorhead Area Public Schools students in kindergarten through third grade over two semesters. The no-cost program gave elementary students individualized, structured literacy support while enabling teacher candidates to apply the science of reading in real instructional settings. Read more about Moorhead’s Literacy Lab pilot program.
The Minnesota Business Partnership’s $50,000 award will support the continued growth of Moorhead’s Literacy Lab model. The initiative is also gaining statewide momentum with additional institutions expected to participate during the 2026–27 academic year.
Moorhead’s work has demonstrated how strong teacher preparation, partnerships with local schools and evidence-based literacy practices can improve outcomes for Minnesota students.