In Georgia and throughout the country, students’ ability to read on grade level is a strong predictor of future academic success. To help ensure Georgia’s children are successful in the future, Governor Brian P. Kemp recently announced that the Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading in Georgia (L4GA) initiative is awarding nearly $180 million to the Georgia Department of Education over the next five years. That’s on top of the $61 million L4GA provided through the Striving Readers Grant in 2017.

L4GA is dedicated to improving literacy outcomes for students from birth through grade 12, and since 2017 it has delivered funds to 38 school districts – including seven city districts – to help improve classroom instruction. And what local educators are doing with the money is working: In 2019, third-grade reading levels are up, with significant gains in grade-level reading and Language Arts.
 
Children throughout the state will benefit from this contribution. The funds will be awarded to local school districts and their community partners and will take account communities’ income levels, schools’ growth rates, the number of students reading below grade level and more.
 
“Reading is an essential part of all other educational attainment; literacy is the key that unlocks the door to a lifetime of learning,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Being awarded nearly $180 million through a competitive federal grant process shows that Georgia’s literacy efforts are viewed as strong, sustainable, and worthy of investment. The students of our state deserve no less.”