ANDERSON — In an effort to improve elementary literacy in Indiana schools, Lilly Endowment and the Indiana Department of Education are investing $111 million.
On Thursday in front of a room of Anderson elementary students, Governor Eric Holcomb, IDOE and Lilly Endowment announced what leaders said is the “state’s largest-ever financial investment in literacy.”
“Today is putting a ginormous Indiana flag in the ground saying we are committed to this,” Holcomb said.
Federal pandemic relief funds from IDOE plus $60 million from Lilly Endowment will go towards elementary literacy. Another $25 million from Lilly Endowment is reserved for college undergraduate elementary teaching programs.
“This is a program we know that works. We’ve seen in other areas it works and we’ve got some ground to make up and not a lot of time to get there,” Holcomb said.
With the money, the state plans on focusing in four areas:
- Support the deployment of instructional coaches to schools throughout Indiana;
- Offer stipends to teachers who participate in professional development focused on the Science of Reading;
- Provide targeted support for students who need the most help in improving their reading skills; and
- Create a literacy center focused on Science of Reading strategies.
The initiative is all centered around the “science of reading.”
“The science of reading is based a lot on how students learn. A lot of brain research and it’s really an increase in phonics, an increase in phonemics awareness.” Indiana Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, said.
By 2027, the state is looking to increase IREAD-3 passing rates to 95%. For comparison last school year, just under 82% of Indiana third graders passed the state test.
“Far too few of our third graders read sufficiently to really be able to do well in school later on. It’s critical that we come up with ways that to make sure that they can. It’s just imperative. This is particularly true for children of color and also low-income students,” Carl Robbins, CEO and chairman of Lilly Endowment, said.
-
ACLU sues Governor Mike Braun over changes to IU Board of Trustees election
The ACLU of Indiana has taken legal action against Governor Mike Braun regarding the budget bill, HEA 1001, which alters the selection process for members of the Indiana University Board of Trustees.
Indiana celebrates Small Business Week
Small businesses represent a majority of businesses in the Hoosier state. Indiana is home to more than 570,000 small businesses and those companies employ 1.2 million people.
Tariffs impacting the cost of flowers, what's in store for Mother's Day?
As Mother’s Day weekend approaches, florists are dealing with the impact of tariffs on imported flowers, posing challenges for their operations.
Hope to Action plan to help reshape 38th Street corridor
The goal is to make 38th Street safer and more accessible for all with the help of churches, community members and funding.
