Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic
NIU's College of Education Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic provides reading support services for K-12 students, high-quality practicum experiences for teacher-licensure candidates. Established over 60 years ago, the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic supports courses leading to the reading teacher endorsement and the Type 10-K-12 Reading Specialist Certification through the Illinois State Board of Education.
The founder of the clinic, originally named the NIU Reading Clinic, was Eugene B. Grant who served as director for 15 years until his retirement in 1973. Dr. Grant passed away in 1988.
Subsequent directors included Jane L. Davidson, James H. Moss, Earl Hanson, Thomas E. Wheat, Jerry L. Johns, Laurie Elish-Piper, Kristine Wilke and current director David Paige.
The clinic was renamed the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic in 2013 to honor Jerry L. Johns, Ph.D., a distinguished teacher, writer, outstanding teacher educator, and popular professional development speaker for schools, school districts, and conferences. The naming recognizes not only Johns' generosity as a philanthropist to the clinic and the literacy program but also his years of ongoing contributions to the field of literacy itself.
He completed his B.A. at Oakland University with special honors and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Michigan State University. Dr. Johns had a long, distinguished career at Northern Illinois University and maintains a close connection with the Literacy Clinic. He was also a Visiting Professor at Western Washington University and the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Contact Us
Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic
3100 Sycamore Road, Suite 2003
DeKalb, IL 60115
literacyclinic@niu.edu