Louisiana is poised to receive $70 million from the U.S. Department of Education to improve reading instruction at high-need schools.

It’s the largest amount any state got in a recently announced round of grants, officials said. A portion of the money will pay for mentor teachers to help their colleagues learn the latest research-based methods to teach reading to children of all ages.

“These funds will help teachers and leaders improve in their profession so they can have the greatest impact on students,” Louisiana’s Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in a statement.

According to the state Department of Education, schools will have to complete a competitive application process detailing how they plan to use the funding. To be approved, they must also show the state that they struggle with high teacher turnover, low graduation rates, a growing population of English learners, have a high number of third graders at risk of being held back, or are otherwise “chronically failing.”

The money will be distributed over a five-year span. 

LDOE executive director of literacy Shanna Beber said the funds will primarily provide additional support for teachers, who, under a 2021 state law, must undergo a one to two-year-long training program to learn the latest methods to teach students how to read.

“Literacy is an ongoing developmental skill,” Beber said.

She added that having mentors work with teachers on current best practices will ensure “that every child becomes a literate citizen.”

This is the third such round of grants to be handed out by the federal government under its Comprehensive Literacy State Development, or CLSD, Program. Louisiana was previously awarded $100 million in 2019 and $42 million in 2020.

Jenna Chiasson, LDOE’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, said the state has been pinpointed each time for the strides it’s made in improving student literacy outcomes.

“We really have evidence that what we’re already doing is working for students,” she said. “We want to keep that momentum going.”

Louisiana has received praise in recent years for its students’ reading gains. In a national report released earlier this year, it was one of just three states where reading test scores were found to have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Researchers lauded the comeback as “remarkable.”

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has also touted improvements in the number of kindergarteners and first graders reading at or above level, with state data showing that test scores for students in those grades improved by an average of about 20% over the course of last school year.

But while the state has made strides in some areas, officials largely acknowledge there’s still a long way to go.

The national report found that, while Louisiana students’ reading scores had improved on average since 2020, stark racial and economic divides remained, with Black, Hispanic and low income students making less progress than their White and affluent peers.

And according to a July report from the state Department of Education, nearly half of Louisiana’s second and third graders ended last school year reading below or significantly below grade level.

The numbers could be cause for concern for the state where, starting this school year, third grade students who score below a certain threshold on their spring exam risk being held back.

DeJunne’ Jackson, president of the Center for Literacy & Learning, a national nonprofit early-learning organization that provided schools with literacy specialists after Louisiana received CLSD money in 2020, said the grant will be lifesaving for some of the state’s reading efforts, many of which have been kept afloat using COVID-era relief funds that are set to expire this year.

When dollars from temporary programs dry up, “so do the supports. It’s like getting the rug pulled out from under you,” Jackson said. “It frustrates our educators.”

She added that tackling literacy gaps early on is crucial for keeping students on the right track.

“Literacy is the foundation for all learning,” Jackson said. “We’ve put forth so much effort to move the needle for our students. This funding means that we can continue that work.”