November
16, 2017 – The Georgia Department of Education has received a grant that
will provide $61.5 million to improve reading and literacy outcomes for
Georgia's children.
GaDOE’s
Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading in Georgia (L4GA) initiative
was awarded funding through the Striving
Readers grant, which was developed to serve children in need. Georgia has
been awarded $20,526,600 per year over three years, totaling $61,579,800.
Georgia received more Striving Readers funding than any other state, and was
one of just three states to receive the funding a second time after the initial
grant cycle from 2011-2016.
Ninety-five
percent of the grant funding will be sub-granted to local school districts and
communities to develop partnerships specifically aimed at improving reading and
literacy outcomes for Georgia’s children, from birth
to grade 12. Specifically, the sub-grants will be awarded to school districts
that work collaboratively with community partners and teacher preparation
programs.
The
L4GA initiative was developed based on lessons learned through Georgia’s
previous Striving Readers grant (2011-16) and the Get Georgia Reading campaign.
"Nothing
is more important than making sure all students have the literacy skills they
need to succeed academically and in life," State School Superintendent
Richard Woods said. "To make that happen, we have to build upon a
foundation of early learning that connects all the way through high school
graduation and builds in community partnerships -- because we know that what
happens inside the school building is not the only factor that impacts
students' literacy. This grant allows us to invest directly in local
communities to improve literacy outcomes and directly impact the lives of
thousands of students."
The
goal of L4GA is to improve student literacy learning, teacher delivery of
instruction, school climate and culture, and academic outcomes across all
subgroups of children, from birth to grade 12. Districts will build community
partnerships that ensure early care and learning in ways that prepare literacy
learners, and all sub-grant recipients will align interventions within a feeder
system (including birth-age 5 childcare providers and elementary, middle,
and high schools). GaDOE is required to ensure that evidence plays a central
role in each sub-grant. Districts' applications will be competitively scored by
a panel of expert reviewers.
The
Georgia Department of Education will coordinate sub-grants, facilitate all
participating partners, conduct an evaluation of the initiative, and utilize
data to create improvements on an on-going basis. In addition, GaDOE will work
with partners from successful classrooms, Regional Educational Service
Agencies, teacher educators and researchers with expertise in targeted areas
for improvement to provide professional learning opportunities for school
leaders and teachers. These efforts will build upon other important
initiatives, including the ongoing work to ensure that positive learning
climates exist in all schools, students have access to print and digital resources,
and teachers have peers and school leaders who can give meaningful feedback
that improves instruction.
“Georgia’s
literacy outcomes have been improving for 10 years. We have much to be proud
of; however, we must accelerate the pace of improvement if all of our students
are to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for their future success,” said
Dr. Caitlin McMunn Dooley, GaDOE’s Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and
Learning. “This grant offers a tremendous opportunity for schools and
communities to work closely together to identify student needs and meet those
needs in measurable ways. Together, we can fulfill the promise that each and
every child in the state will be on a path to reading and writing
proficiently.”
More
Information:
L4GA
website
Reading
resources
To
be added to the L4GA listserv, send a blank email to: join-L4GA@list.doe.k12.ga.us