Stewart Plan to Help Educators Better Teach Reading to Young Children Funded in Budget

Early Literacy Summer Professional Development Program Receives $875,000

Senate Majority Whip Mimi Stewart on Thursday announced that the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget passed by the Legislature included $875,000 to start an important, voluntary professional development opportunity in the summer for teachers who teach reading to younger students.

“When a child learns to read, the world opens up to them,” Stewart said. “Having taught reading myself for years, though, I know that students and educators face many hurdles. By creating this unique literacy education learning opportunity for teachers, we will help teachers master the most up-to-date techniques so that more of our kids can succeed.”

The funding is the result of Stewart’s SB 74, which called for teaching scientifically based strategies and that incorporate ongoing assessment into literacy education training. The professional development outlined in SB 74 must also support teachers working with English-language-learners and prioritize teachers in elementary schools with a high number of at risk students.

“By supporting teachers with a smart, scientifically based approach to literacy education, we will be helping them to teach and helping our students to learn,” Stewart said. “And by prioritizing teachers working with at-risk populations, this program reflects our state’s commitment to helping all students.”