Merkley, Wyden Celebrate $11.5 Million Coming to Oregon to Boost Literacy Programs

Merkley, Wyden Celebrate $11.5 Million Coming to Oregon to Boost Literacy Programs

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that $11.5 million is coming to Oregon to boost the state's programs to close disparities in literacy for students.

The U.S. Department of Education is awarding the Oregon Department of Education $11,578,036 to advance literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing for students from birth through grade 12. The program will particularly focus on limited-English-proficient students and students with disabilities, including dyslexia. Today's award is the first of an anticipated 5-year program that could total up to $57,890,181.

"Reading is key to success in education and life,"?said Merkley. "Making sure the Oregon Department of Education has the resources it needs to support students, particularly English language learners and students with dyslexia, benefits us all. I'll never stop fighting for Oregon students to make certain every child has a solid start in life."

"The road to a great future for young Oregonians begins with reading," said Wyden. "Students throughout our state with learning disabilities, English language learners and other young Oregonians will all gain from these federal literacy funds. I'll always battle for these kinds of opportunities to strengthen educational support in classrooms statewide."

"These federal grant funds will support Oregon's scholars, from birth to grade 12, in strengthening their access to high-quality literacy resources aligned with the Early Literacy Success Initiative," said Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of Oregon Department of Education. "This includes making sure Oregon's highest-need schools receive additional funding for staff professional learning, literacy resources, high-dosage tutoring and summer and after-school learning, including expanding programming to grades 4-12. We are pursuing every opportunity to elevate literacy, and I am grateful that the U.S. Department of Education recognizes the momentum in Oregon to ensure every child has exceptional literacy instruction."

With this Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant, the Oregon Department of Education proposed implementing literacy programs focused on outcome disparities for underserved students, including English language learners and students with dyslexia. The project has the following goals: 1) increase the literacy achievement of students in participating local education agencies (LEAs) across Oregon; 2) build LEA capacity to implement evidence-based strategies in reading and writing for children from birth to grade 12; and 3) develop and implement a Statewide Comprehensive Literacy Plan. Planned activities include literacy coaching, utilizing research-based literacy instruction, and developing effective school transition practices. The State will partner with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to align efforts with the Governor's Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council.

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