Doors to Discovery
Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- This strategy can help address educational disparities, which the U.S. Department of Treasury has designated as an eligible use of SLFRF funds.
Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Program basics
- Supplemental curriculum intended to help children build oral language, phonological awareness, and other early literacy skills
- Built around eight thematic units, each unit includes a range of teacher resources
- Utilizes shared literacy techniques, where children complete sentences with missing words, etc.
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Strong (second-highest tier)
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Strong (second-highest tier)
Ranked as having the second-highest level of evidence by the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse
Target population
Preschool-aged children
Program cost
$2,654 for a full educational set (2013)
Implementation locations
- Nationwide
Dates active
Not available
Outcomes and impact
- Positive effects on oral language, print knowledge, and phonological processing
- Improved oral language by an average of 11 percentile points
- Improved print knowledge by an average of 15 percentile points
- Improved phonological processing by an average of 6 percentile points
Keys to successful implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Doors to Discovery must be delivered with fidelity in order to achieve positive outcomes.
- Teachers must be provided with ample professional development opportunities to master curriculum and should be evaluated regularly to ensure that model is delivered with fidelity.
