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Louisiana awarded $70 million to accelerate student reading

by Minden Press-Herald

Five-year grant expands focus of state’s comprehensive literacy plan and provides targeted support to struggling students, schools, and systems

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has been awarded $70 million to help more Louisiana students become strong readers. The Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) program awarded Louisiana more than any of the 23 states to win these competitive grants. The LDOE will target the funds to support literacy efforts for students, teachers, and schools most in need.

“This considerable investment reflects the success of our current literacy efforts and the strong academic return on investment we’ve achieved with previous funds,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “These funds will help teachers and leaders improve in their profession, so they can have the greatest impact on students.”

The LDOE will target the five-year grant towards four main focus areas:

  • Building teacher and leader capacity around evidence-based practices in the most struggling schools and systems
  • Providing targeted capacity and resources for schools serving high rates of the highest-need students
  • Ensuring every child has access to a highly-effective teacher by providing literacy mentors to new teachers within three years of service in schools with high teacher turnover and/or high numbers of new teachers.
  • Implementing high-quality, evidence-based practices, interventions, and opportunities to support children and families.

“Over the past four years, 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,” said Executive Director of Literacy Shanna Beber. “This grant will allow us to continue the momentum as we push for all Louisiana children to have improved literacy outcomes.”

The funding will be used to serve 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
  • High number of third graders at risk of retention

The LDOE will award funding to schools and systems through a competitive grant process that will begin this school year. The first round of funding will be for the 2025-2026 school year. School and system leaders can stay up-to-date on opportunities to apply for competitive funding through the LDOE Weekly Newsletter.

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