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Delaware launches K–3 literacy push with more than $10 million in funding
Summary
At a statewide professional development day, Secretary Martin outlined a K–3 literacy plan centered on daily Tier 1 reading instruction, expanded teacher training, family resources and targeted funding including a $3 million DonorsChoose allocation and a competitive district/charter grant.
Secretary Martin, Delaware’s secretary of education, announced a statewide K–3 literacy initiative at a professional development day, saying the state will prioritize daily, evidence‑based reading instruction in every classroom and back it with targeted funding and supports.
The plan centers on four pillars: guaranteed daily Tier 1 reading lessons for all students, intensive teacher training and coaching, staffing and school conditions that enable collaborative instruction, and stronger family partnerships. “What's the most important thing… It is strong daily reading instruction,” Martin said, arguing that consistent classroom practice is the key to shifting third‑grade reading outcomes.
Martin described concrete supports tied to the plan. The state set aside $3 million for teacher‑directed classroom resources through a partnership with DonorsChoose, offering teacher ‘bundles’ worth up to $750. A separate $1 million allocation will be prioritized for CSI and TSI schools, as named in the presentation. Martin also announced a competitive “bridge to practice” grant for districts and charters to build coaching and staffing models; the presentation’s transcript rendered the grant amount ambiguously, and officials say the precise figure should be confirmed.
Officials tied accountability to student outcomes rather than punitive checks: Martin said the work will be measured by steady gains in third‑grade reading on the Smarter Balanced Assessment and by monitoring attendance and stability. She emphasized state staff would work alongside local educators to celebrate bright spots and remove barriers, not to “blame or shame.”
Other immediate elements include an AI literacy summit to evaluate classroom tools, a family literacy toolkit with multilingual resources, and placement of 25 tutors in the highest‑need schools. Martin said the combined investments amount to “over $10 million” and urged districts, schools and teachers to align instruction and budgets to the plan.
The rollout is intended to move district and classroom practice rather than rely on downstream interventions. Martin said teachers will also get short coaching cycles, common formative assessments to guide instruction throughout the year, and mentoring for new literacy teachers. The department will publicly track where dollars are spent and which schools and resources are funded.
The department reserved time at the event for questions and follow up; next steps include posting application details for competitive grants and publishing the vetted DonorsChoose resource list and funding allocations.
