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Reading Consortium and Wilmington Learning Collaborative defend program results, commit to better data
Summary
Redding (Reading) Consortium and Wilmington Learning Collaborative presented program reports, urged continued funding for early-childhood and out-of-school-time programs, and promised better outcome data and quarterly reporting; DOE and consortium acknowledged past data gaps and committed to improved collection and impact analysis.
The Reading Consortium and the Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) used the committee hearing to summarize recent program outcomes and to ask that state investment continue while improving program-level data collection.
Senator Lockman and former lieutenant governor Matthew Denn (Redding Consortium) outlined the consortiumrecommended $10.2 million for FY27 tied primarily to early childhood seats, outside-school-time programming and teacher scholarships; they said the consortium will continue quarterly reporting and that DOE is responsible for grant awards and oversight. "We think those investments have been worthwhile," one presenter told the committee, while acknowledging gaps in the state's current reporting on impact measures for outside-school-time programs.
The WLCpresentation, led by Dr. Laura Burgos, reported emerging positive results from the third year of operations across nine schools: summer learning serving ~1,100 students, a 79% retention rate in a teacher-leadership fellows program, and positive mid-year benchmark movements in several partner schools. WLC asked for roughly $2 million for FY27 and said carryover is projected around $1.6M. Dr. Burgos said WLC is prioritizing school-driven innovation, educator pathways and out-of-school time initiatives.
Both Redding and WLC acknowledged limitations in earlier data reporting. The consortium said DOE had not consistently collected detailed impact data from grantees; consortium staff said they have received commitments that data collection and analysis will be strengthened before the next quarterly report. "We were disappointed to learn this year that DOE had not addressed a concern ... that DOE was not collecting detailed impact information and DOE has committed to fixing this problem," the consortium told the committee.
Committee members and other witnesses asked for more granular school-level breakdowns, disaggregated participation metrics, and clarification on declining participation in some outside-school-time offerings. Committee chairs and DOE staff agreed to follow up with a clearer data plan and requested the departments to deliver the consortiumquarterly report and DOE's improved metrics to the committee.
Next steps: Redding Consortium and WLC to continue quarterly reporting; DOE to work with partners to provide improved impact data and school-level breakdowns before budget markup.
