In a significant push for childhood literacy, the Healey-Driscoll administration is rolling out a no-cost early literacy tutoring initiative across 272 elementary schools in Massachusetts, with a particular focus on students from kindergarten through third grade. According to the Massachusetts Government, Governor Maura Healey and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler along with Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez announced the launch, backed by a $25 million investment aimed to build foundational reading skills, with first graders getting top priority in the drive to bolster education post-pandemic.
During their visit to Dewing Elementary School in Tewksbury, the Governor underscored the urgency of addressing the current reading proficiency shortfalls, she highlighted the evidence-based model of high-dosage tutoring, designed to offer one-on-one or small-group sessions multiple times a week for a period of at least 10 weeks, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the method's potential to close achievement gaps worsened by the pandemic, Governor Healey emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative, saying "I proposed this $25 million investment in high-dosage tutoring because we know students are not where they need to be when it comes to reading in Massachusetts and across the country," as reported by the Massachusetts Government.
Aside from the tutoring program, the administration also launched the Literacy Launch Institutes and awarded around $12.6 million through two different grants, aiming for both the implementation of high-quality early literacy instructional materials and supporting grades 4-12, as "Reading is the foundation of all learning," Education Secretary Tutwiler pointed out – further solidifying the state’s commitment to accessible and quality education, grant recipients included the administration's Literacy Launch PRISM II grants to 30 school districts, which received $9.3 million and PRISM III literacy grants, which saw 25 districts gain $3.3 million, as per the Massachusetts Government.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) facilitates the high dosage tutoring program which offers participating schools access to qualified tutoring providers, with models that accommodate both in-person and virtual tutorials during and after school hours, the program functions as an arm of the state's educational infrastructure, aiming to address reading challenges early enough to prevent broader academic impact. Tewksbury Superintendent Brenda Theriault-Regan acknowledged the significance of this move, "We are excited about this high-dosage early literacy tutoring opportunity and recognize its potential to significantly impact our students' foundational reading skills," she told Massachusetts Government.
