Healey-Driscoll Administration Kicks Off First Year of Literacy Launch
Multi-year program expands access to evidence-based literacy
instruction through professional development and high-quality materials
CLINTON — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, state
legislators, local officials and educators celebrated the kick-off of Literacy
Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3, Governor Maura Healey’s new
approach to improving early literacy. Literacy Launch makes sure Massachusetts
schools, educators and students have access to high-quality, evidence-based
reading instruction through literacy materials, technical support, coaching and
professional development for educators.
The first year of this new, multi-year strategy is supported
by $20 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget and represents a key
investment in the future of early learners, helping equip students with the
reading and writing skills necessary for academic success and lifelong
learning.
Governor Healey announced today at Clinton Elementary School
that a request for proposals is currently open for public school districts and
charter schools to apply for the Partnership for Reading Success –
Massachusetts (PRISM) grants. These competitive grants, funded through Literacy
Launch, will provide awardees with professional development, support to create
partnerships with community-based preschool providers to align evidence-based
early curriculum,
instruction and
assessment across the community, funding for early literacy screening
assessments, coaching support and funding to cover staffing costs for roles
like literacy coaches or reading specialists. Proposals are due October 1,
2024.
“Massachusetts is ranked number one in the country for
schools, and we want to be number one for literacy too. Literacy Launch will
help us reach that goal by giving more students the instruction they need to be
able to read and read well,” said
Governor Maura Healey. “I’m grateful for the Legislature’s
partnership to make Literacy Launch a reality and look forward to our continued
collaboration to make Massachusetts the best place to live, work, raise a
family and go to school."
“One of the most important aspects of our Literacy Launch
Initiative is how we’ll support our teachers in adopting best practices,” said Lieutenant
Governor Kim Driscoll. “This funding will make the best reading instructional
materials available to more districts and offer help implementing them. Under
this administration’s leadership, and in partnership with the Legislature, we
are going to continue to accelerate critical efforts to improve early
literacy.”
In the first year of Literacy Launch, the administration
will help up to 45 school districts transition to a strong, evidence-based
literacy program through a competitive grant program, including acquisition of
high-quality materials and long-term technical support from The Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It will also update approval
criteria and accelerate review timelines for teacher education programs that
are now required to provide evidence-based early literacy training. The program
will be implemented by the Executive Office of Education in coordination with
DESE and the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).
“Early literacy has been a priority for me and our
Secretariat since I joined the administration, and I am honored to join
Governor Healey today to kick off our new early literacy initiative - Literacy
Launch. Literacy Launch will help transform early literacy learning in
Massachusetts, building a critical foundation in reading and writing,” said Education
Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Thanks to Governor Healey’s leadership and our
state Legislature, we are launching one of the most comprehensive literacy
approaches in the country – providing districts with the support they need and
the funding necessary to adopt best practices. The $20 million investment in
the FY25 budget is not only a downpayment on students’ success, but on our
economy and competitiveness.”
As part of the administration’s on-going work to improve
early literacy, DESE is also launching an improve Mass Literacy Guide that
incorporates feedback from educators, administrators and the community. This
interactive, web- based resource and information hub provides high-quality
instructional resources and information for educators to support their
teaching, as well as information about how young children learn how to read and
write and about instruction that is based in current evidence. Additionally,
under programs like Growing Literacy Equity Across Massachusetts (GLEAM) and Accelerating
Literacy grants, DESE has been offering opportunities for districts to receive
multi-year technical support and funding for improvements in literacy teaching
and materials. DESE also offers Appleseeds, a completely free, evidence-based
reading foundational skills curriculum for students in grades K-2. The state
was also recently awarded $38.4 million in federal funding over the next five
years to further expand evidence-based and culturally and linguistically
sustaining practices for English language arts and literacy in grades pre-K
through 12 through additional grants to districts and schools.
“Massachusetts has been in need of the transformational
investment that Literacy Launch is bringing to our classrooms,” said Acting
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Russell D. Johnston. “We are
happy to bring things resources to districts, educators and students.”
“Early education is the start of the educational journey for
our youngest learners. The Administration’s comprehensive, cross-secretariat
Literacy Launch initiative will set our children up for educational success and
a love of reading, helping children to develop the language and literacy skills
they need and closing the learning gap before they enter kindergarten,” said Early
Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw.
In recognition of the critical role that early educators and
preschool providers play in children’s literacy learning, students as young as
3 are an important focus of Literacy Launch and the state’s existing approach
to improving early literacy. The Department of Early Education and Care is
working with partners to conduct a statewide assessment of preschool literacy
needs and create a Massachusetts Preschool Kindergarten Transition Toolkit for
the early education mixed-delivery system.
“Learning how to read is the cornerstone of a lifetime of
success, and the Literacy Launch program is going to open that door to students
in schools across the entire state,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka
(D-Ashland). “This initiative was a point of pride in the Fiscal Year 2025
budget, and I’m grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for implementing
it with the speed and energy it deserves.”
“As a former teacher, I have seen first hand the importance
of ensuring all students have access to high-quality early literacy programs,
as becoming a strong reader from a young age is a crucial step towards
long-term academic success,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy).
“I'm proud of the work we have done in the Legislature to make Massachusetts a
national leader in education, but we know more can be done to support our
youngest readers, and I'm grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for
its strong commitment to this important issue."
Massachusetts has consistently been a national leader in
education. With the kickoff of Literacy Launch, we will continue this
investment by expanding access to evidence-based early literacy,” said State
Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on
Education. “This initiative was funded by the Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2025
state budget and will utilize high-quality educational materials and
professional development to better support our children from the start and set
them up for future success down the line.
“Literacy is fundamentally important for our youngest
learners in every single district in our Commonwealth. We know that children
must learn to read by third grade so they can read to learn throughout their
educational journey,” said Representative Denise Garlick (D-Needham), House
Chair of the Joint Committee on Education.
“Literacy Launch will build on our efforts to increase
access to evidence-based literacy materials and to provide educators
professional development and support.”
"Today is a celebration of our students and our
Commonwealth's commitment to provide them with the best education
possible," saidSenator John J. Cronin (D-Fitchburg). "Massachusetts
is a leader on so many issues and, with this program, will continue to be the
best place in the country, and the world, to receive an education. I'm grateful
to Governor Healey for her leadership on this issue and am excited for the
impact it will have on students here in Clinton and across North Central
Mass."
“I am proud to join Governor Healey in visiting Clinton
Public Schools and highlighting the work being done right here by our
incredible teaches, students, and staff to promote early literacy. We all know
how vital these foundational skills are and I am thrilled that this funding
will be used to ensure schools like Clinton Public Schools will be better
equipped to ensure every child in Massachusetts has access to high-quality
reading instruction from the very beginning,” said Representative Meghan
Kilcoyne (D-Clinton). “This program is not just an investment in education;
it’s an investment in our future. By prioritizing literacy, we empower our
students with the foundational skills they need to succeed throughout their
lives.”
"Improving literacy has profound effects on bettering
lives at any age, but efforts made with students in early education can make a
monumental difference by giving children the foundation to reach their full
potential,” said Clinton Town Manager Michael J. Ward. “Literacy Launch is
making that happen here in Clinton. Congratulations to the Clinton Public
Schools on this recognition and for the importance they place on reading and
literacy. I am proud of the successes they are having with funding under this
program and thank Governor Healey for recognizing the need and for her support
in helping our children."
