Louisiana - The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has been awarded a substantial $70 million grant to improve literacy rates among Louisiana students. The Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) program, a competitive grant program, awarded Louisiana the largest amount among the 23 states that received funding.
According to State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, this significant investment is a testament to the success of the state's current literacy efforts and the strong academic return on investment achieved with previous funds. "These funds will help teachers and leaders improve in their profession, so they can have the greatest impact on students," Dr. Brumley stated.
The five-year grant will focus on four key areas: building teacher and leader capacity around evidence-based practices in struggling schools and systems; providing targeted capacity and resources for schools serving high rates of high-need students; ensuring every child has access to a highly effective teacher by providing literacy mentors to new teachers; and implementing high-quality, evidence-based practices, interventions, and opportunities to support children and families.
Shanna Beber, Executive Director of Literacy, highlighted the progress made in literacy rates over the past four years, stating, "Louisiana educators have made a significant shift in the way we teach students to read, and we are seeing steady increases in our literacy rates." She emphasized that this grant will allow the state to continue the momentum toward achieving improved literacy outcomes for all Louisiana children.
The funding will be allocated to schools that meet at least one of the following criteria: chronically failing, high teacher turnover, high percentage of new teachers, growing number of English Learners, high schools with low graduation rates, or high number of third graders at risk of retention. The LDOE will award funding to schools and systems through a competitive grant process, which will begin this school year. The first round of funding will be for the 2025-2026 school year.