Connecticut has been awarded a $10 million five-year competitive grant to expand reading intervention programs for elementary students, according to Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker.
The Education Innovation and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education will support a statewide initiative led by the Connecticut State Department of Education's Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success. Partners include the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education, HILL for Literacy, Fordham University, and school districts throughout the state.
The program will expand access to small-group reading intervention across 75 elementary schools, along with instructional materials, professional learning, and ongoing coaching. It will also examine the impact of incorporating positive behavioral interventions and supports into reading instruction to increase student engagement.
Connecticut has invested heavily in literacy since 2021, allocating more than $24 million in kindergarten through third-grade literacy assessments and instructional materials for schools, and $15 million in professional learning for educators. The state also invested $2 million in a new literacy coaching program in identified schools.
The initiative will begin with a limited number of schools in the first year and phase in additional schools over the five-year grant period.