Literacy Express
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. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve this outcome are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery 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 overview
- Preschool curriculum for children aged three to five, primarily intended to improve language development and early literacy
- Structured around 10 thematic units, covered in three to four weeks each
- Can be used in half- or full-day preschools, can be used for typically developing children, children with special needs, and children from non-English speaking families
- Provides professional development to teachers and staff
- Includes teaching materials, suggested activities, daily schedules, and classroom management recommendations
- Issue Areas
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Early childhood
- Outcomes
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Kindergarten readiness
- Strategies
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Early childhood curricula and interventions
- Target Population
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Children under 5
- Cost per Participant
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$2,300 per classroom package
Evidence and impacts
Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse
- Positive effects on oral language, print knowledge, and phonological processing
- No discernible effects on cognition and math skills
- Oral language skills improved by an average of 12 percentile points
- Print language skills improved by an average of 15 percentile points
- Phonological processing improved by an average of 12 percentile points
Best practices in implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- As with all evidence-based curricula, Literacy Express 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.