Sustaining Districtwide Literacy Improvement Collaborative

More than forty states and the District of Columbia have now passed laws or implemented new policies to promote evidence-based reading instruction. Professional development for teachers is a crucial first step, but research has shown that many districts are struggling to turn theory into practice.

EAB’s Sustaining Districtwide Literacy Improvement Collaborative is designed to help districts establish a best-in-class system for managing changes to literacy instruction. This system is rooted in EAB’s research on Narrowing the Third-Grade Reading Gap. This study—first launched in 2018—documented how innovative districts successfully improved early literacy in their schools by aligning instruction, interventions, and summer programming with the “science of reading.”

Through working with dozens of districts to align their schools with the practices profiled in our research, we have learned that this management system plays a key role in districts realizing the tangible improvements in reading scores that many expect will materialize through professional development and new resources. As such, we want to make this system easy to replicate for the hundreds of school systems currently working to improve early literacy among their students.

Join this four-part guided workshop series to adopt a proven playbook for implementing and sustaining science-based reading instruction in schools:

• Build a shared vision for literacy instruction
• Prepare principals to lead school-level Implementation
• Establish district-level expectations and supports
• Prepare for training and roll-out

Sessions will include expert guidance, protected work time, peer discussion, and every resource needed for implementation.

Sessions

Select your sessions and click Register to sign up.

These sessions are best suited for superintendents, chief academic officers, assistant superintendents, directors of curriculum and instruction, principal supervisors. Registration for each session is limited to three attendees per institution.

• Tuesday, January 19, 2027 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Session One: Building a Shared Understanding and Vision for Literacy Instruction: Explore how innovative districts successfully improved early literacy in their schools by aligning instruction, interventions, and summer programming with the ‘science of reading.’ Participants will take a self-assessment to reflect on current alignment and opportunities for improvement to realize the tangible improvements in reading scores that many expected would materialize through professional development and new curricula.
• Tuesday, February 16, 2027 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Session Two: Defining School-Level Responsibilities: Determine the roles of teachers and school leaders in implementing the practices within our best-in-class literacy management system with fidelity, from regular observations and feedback to instructional goal-setting and PLCs.
• Tuesday, March 16, 2027 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Session Three: Establishing District-Level Responsibilities: Define the central office roles and responsibilities needed to implement our best-in-class literacy management system with fidelity, from data reviews to change management training for principals.
• Tuesday, April 13, 2027 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Session Four: Preparing for a Successful Launch: Reflect on key decisions made throughout the collaborative and develop a plan for rolling out new and updated practices, then pressure test that plan to avoid potential pitfalls.