Governor DeWine Announces $60 million Federal Grant to Improve Reading Instruction

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) Director Stephen D. Dackin today announced that Ohio was awarded a $60 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will support Ohio teachers in providing effective literacy instruction to help students maximize their reading and writing skills.

Under Governor DeWine’s leadership and through his ReadOhio initiative, DEW is championing statewide efforts to raise literacy achievement. This includes schools aligning instruction with the Science of Reading, an approach proven through research as the best method for teaching children to read.  

“As all of our schools in Ohio become fully aligned with the Science of Reading, it is critical that our teachers have the right training and resources to properly teach their students how to read using this groundbreaking method,” said Governor DeWine. “This funding will further advance our efforts to make Ohio a model state, both in terms of how we support teachers with the training and tools they need to raise literacy achievement, and how we provide our students with the skills they need to be successful throughout life.”

Elementary, middle, and high schools – as well as district preschools and early childhood education programs across Ohio – will soon be able to apply to become a comprehensive literacy implementation site. Selected sites will be able to use these grant funds to strengthen the ways teachers and administrators implement literacy practices, with an ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. This may include coaching for teachers and principals on how to effectively bring the Science of Reading into their classrooms, further training on best practices for the use of high-quality instructional materials that teach the Science of Reading, or even partnering with a local library or institution of higher education to promote the value of literacy to families, among many other potential uses.

“By establishing more of our schools as comprehensive literacy implementation sites and providing another layer of support directly to our teachers, the better positioned educators and staff will be to successfully guide students in developing crucial literacy skills,” said Director Dackin. “This program will also help us understand where additional supports are needed and how to make those critical learning connections.”

DEW plans to issue a request for applications in early 2025 to competitively select sites. Subgrants will be awarded in four age groups, including birth to kindergarten, kindergarten to grade 5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12. A portion of the funding will also be used for technical assistance and implementation supports.

Applicants may opt to form a partnership with others to collaborate and share resources in the same region. An education partnership is an association of two or more eligible local education agencies pooling resources to share human and material assets and link academic and administrative resources with the objective of participating in the development and execution of a comprehensive literacy implementation site.

Awards to subgrantees will be announced in late spring 2025.  

The Comprehensive Literacy State Development program awards competitive grants to states to advance literacy skills for children from birth through grade 12, with an emphasis on children living in poverty, English language learners, and children with disabilities. Ohio is among 23 grant awardees this program cycle and received the second-highest amount of funding of any state in the nation.