The Illinois Early Literacy Coalition released a study highlighting the literacy journeys of six Illinois school districts. It focuses on districts that have shown improvement in literacy scores and examines the strategies they implemented to achieve those gains. The goal is to share these success stories and foster collaboration among educators to improve literacy outcomes for all students.
The white paper, titled "Spotlighting Schools' Literacy Journeys," delves into the experiences of Cicero SD 99, CUSD 200 (Wheaton), Morton Grove SD 70, Peoria SD 150, RPS 205, and Sesser-Valier CUSD 196. These districts represent a diverse range of settings, including those with significant bilingual populations and those without. The Illinois Early Literacy Coalition aims to identify common themes and best practices that can be replicated in other schools across the state.
The research was motivated by a study that found Illinois among the states recovering from pandemic learning loss in reading. The Coalition sought to understand what specific actions were driving this recovery in different districts. The white paper explores how these districts are putting the state's comprehensive literacy plan into action.
Key themes emerging from the research include collaboration, coaching, coherence, continuous improvement, and calendar management. The Illinois Early Literacy Coalition encourages educators and policymakers to learn from these experiences and implement strategies that align with evidence-based reading research. The coalition believes that by working together and sharing knowledge, Illinois can accelerate progress in improving literacy for all students.