Press Release  Massachusetts Wins $10 Million Federal Grant for Early Literacy Tutoring

Boston —  The Healey-Driscoll Administration is today celebrating that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been awarded $10 million from the U.S. Education Department in a new Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant. The state plans to use this funding for early literacy tutoring as part of the administration’s comprehensive strategy to improve literacy for all Massachusetts students.

The funding for the 2026-27 school year will support Massachusetts’ no-cost, high-dosage early literacy tutoring that the state is funding with $25 million in Fair Share dollars at 272 elementary schools. High-dosage tutoring is an evidence-based model shown to deliver significant gains in literacy achievement, particularly for students who are behind grade level, and provides one-on-one or small-group tutoring sessions multiple times a week for at least 10 weeks. 

“We know that improving early literacy is vitally important to improving our students’ futures, and high dosage tutoring has been proven to be highly effective,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This $10 million grant will help accelerate students’ progress in literacy, building a stronger foundation for success in school.”

“When adults work together for students’ benefit, great things can happen,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This $10 million is a welcome investment in a priority area for our state.” 

This is the second federal grant the Healey-Driscoll Administration has won to support early literacy, bringing millions of federal dollars into the state to help students learn to read and read well. The state also received a $38.4 million, over five years, federal literacy grant in September 2024.

These grants align with the administration’s Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3 initiative. Literacy Launch is focused on transforming early literacy systems in public schools and community-based preschool programs through grants for high-quality reading materials, technical support, literacy screeners, and coaching, free professional development, and speeding up the review of teacher education programs, which are now required to provide evidence-based literacy training. The administration has secured $35 million in state funding for the first two years of Literacy Launch through the Fiscal Year 2025 and Fiscal Year 2026 budgets.

“This federal grant, paired with other state and federal investments, is a reflection of how important early literacy is,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “I’m glad to see our tutoring efforts receive this additional support, because we know it’s critical for students to be successful readers by third grade.” 

“Early literacy is an essential investment in improving student outcomes,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez. “We want students to find joy in reading and be ready to use their literacy skills in other subjects. This tutoring will help students make that progress.”

Literacy Launch efforts have included Partnership for Reading Success – Massachusetts (PRISM) grants and Literacy Launch Institutes, which trained 500 educators in summer 2025. Another 1,300 educators are expected at institutes this winter and next summer. 

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