Mayor Bowser Announces Nearly $50 Million Grant to Continue Accelerating Literacy Outcomes for DC Students

(Washington, DC) - Today, during the second week of National Book Month, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the District a $49.8 million grant to continue accelerating student literacy outcomes across the District. The five-year Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant, the second multimillion dollar CLSD grant the District has received in the past four years, will be leveraged to ensure evidence-based literacy practices are implemented across the District.
"Investing in literacy is investing in the future of our young people and the future of our city," said Mayor Bowser. "I am proud and grateful to lead a city where our educators are committed to making sure we have the best programs, the best curricula, and the best lessons for our students. With these funds, we can build on the progress we've made in literacy and make sure that every child has the supports they need to become strong readers and writers."
Over the next five years, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will use the CLSD grant funds to:

• Provide science of reading training for DC educators, including classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders.
• Create and implement local literacy plans for improving literacy instruction and student outcomes at the local education agency level.
• Ensure the adoption and implementation of high-quality, literacy instructional materials that have been proven to help students master literacy.

"The Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant is a transformative opportunity for our educators and students. With this funding, OSSE is committed to equipping our teachers with the essential resources and training they need to further expand literacy and empower our students," said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell. "Through this grant, we are ensuring that every child in the District has the skills to become a strong, confident reader, setting them on a path to lifelong success."
OSSE will launch a competitive grant competition to award these funds and prioritize funding for our students furthest from opportunity. Additionally, OSSE will use the funds to support statewide literacy professional development for educators. Specifically, OSSE will establish and launch a coaching academy for CLSD instructional coaches. OSSE will also bring together literacy stakeholders across the District for semi-annual citywide literacy convenings.
The District was previously awarded a CLSD grant in September 2020 and will continue to implement that grant until the end of September 2025.

DC students' proficiency rates in English language arts/literacy (ELA) have been ticking upwards since the pandemic from 30.8 percent in 2022 to 34.0 percent in 2024 on DC's statewide assessment, Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (DC CAPE). Specifically, third grade proficiency rates in ELA increased by 2.3 points between 2023 and 2024. Early learners were deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the District has strengthened its focus on early literacy to increase ELA proficiency in third grade as a foundational skill for future learning in all subjects.

For more information about literacy instruction in the District, visit the OSSE webpage: osse.dc.gov/page/literacy-dc.

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