Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $800,000 in Early Literacy Grants for College and K-12 School Partnerships

EVERETT — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that it is awarding $800,000 in grants to 17 school districts and 14 colleges to promote the evidence-based early literacy instructional skills of prospective and existing teachers. Together, these partnerships will support over 350 teacher candidates this year to complete their elementary, early childhood, or moderate disabilities teacher preparation programs. They also provide pre-K–12 educators and educator preparation faculty with opportunities to share effective practices, learn from each other, and better prepare educators in evidence-based early literacy, resulting in elevated early literacy instruction at the school, district, and higher education level.  

“All Massachusetts students deserve high-quality literacy instruction,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Through the Early Literacy Consortium program, we're making sure our teachers are well prepared to teach evidence-based early literacy and help students develop critical reading and writing skills.”  

“Programs such as the Early Literacy Consortium grant allow districts and educator preparation programs to work together to give teachers the knowledge and skills necessary for effective early literacy instruction,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Supporting teacher development is a critical component of our transformative plan to improve early literacy education in Massachusetts.”  

This grant program is part of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Early Literacy in Educator Preparation initiative and is one of the many investments the administration is making in early literacy, including Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3. Through Literacy Launch, DESE has been able to speed up its review of teacher preparation programs’ use of evidence-based reading methods, cutting the time to review programs from eight years to four years. This year, DESE launched reviews of 43 elementary, early childhood, and moderate disabilities licensure programs. The administration also just held the first Literacy Launch Institutes, providing free four full days of training for nearly 600 educators. Participants learned about evidence-based early literacy instructional practices that meet the unique needs of all students and can be incorporated into teaching.   

“The Early Literacy Consortium program promotes collaboration across districts and educator preparation programs in order to improve literacy outcomes for students across the state,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Evidence-based early literacy instruction, provided within schools and classrooms that are culturally responsive, will put our youngest students on a path toward literacy for life.” 

“These grants fund important collaboration between and among districts and local educator preparation programs,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez. “I’m glad to see this training reach teachers who are in the classroom already and those who are preparing to enter the profession.” 

"Strong reading skills are the foundation for lifelong learning and opportunity,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "These grants represent an important step in advancing the evidence-based approaches that the Senate has championed. By strengthening teacher preparation and collaboration, we are ensuring that schools across Massachusetts have the tools they need to deliver high-quality literacy instruction to every child — and we will continue building on this work to make sure all students are set on a path to success.” 

“Continued strong investments in high-quality literacy education are critical to supporting young students and keeping Massachusetts a national leader in education,” said Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “These partnerships and grants will ensure educators receive professional development in evidence-based literacy practices to help support our students from the start and set them up for success down the line.” 

“Ensuring our teachers have access to evidence-based literacy instruction is essential to the success of our young students,” said Representative Ken Gordon (D-Bedford), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “Strong reading and writing skills lay a foundation for lifelong achievement, and these grants will help expand access to the tools students and teachers need to thrive.” 

Early literacy consortium grant amounts depend on where applicants are in planning vs. continuing a consortium. The grant recipients and the districts and programs they will work with are: 

• Hadley Public Schools with University of Massachusetts Amherst: $10,000
• Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District with Agawam Public Schools, the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District, Gateway Regional School District, West Springfield Public Schools, American International College, Springfield College, Western New England University and Worcester State University: $190,000
• Smith College with the Frontier Regional School District, Northampton Public Schools, Shutesbury Public Schools, South Hadley Public Schools and Mount Holyoke College: $199,284
• Springfield Public Schools with East Longmeadow Public Schools, American International College, Elms College and Springfield College: $190,000
• Stonehill College with Braintree Public Schools, Milton Public Schools, Randolph Public Schools and Curry College: $190,716
• Waltham Public Schools with Brandeis University: $10,000
• Worcester Public Schools with Assumption University and Clark University: $10,000 

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