Impact Report
2022
reenvisioning literacy
sowing seeds of change
letter from ceo
and board chair
CLI is grateful to our community—school partners, philanthropic investors, and the wide body of stakeholders and volunteers who support our work. Because of your contributions, we continue to have profound impact on the literacy and educational experience of children, particularly the Black and Latinx children we serve.
The report that follows is a testament to the tremendous power of early literacy instruction, support, and advocacy that centers and celebrates children in the classroom. With this year’s report we have transitioned from the traditional format to an impact report that focuses on outcomes, and the stories behind those outcomes. In the 2021-2022 school year, CLI served over 57,000 children, 3,100 educators, and 2,408 classrooms.
Over the past year, CLI has developed anti-racist early literacy training, coaching, and online teacher resources based on an instructional model that incorporates Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). Integrating anti-racist CSP into instructional practice is integral to CLI achieving an enduring and positive impact for Black and Latinx children at scale. This integration ensures that our coaches and all our organizational leaders have the mindset and capability to be effective systemic change agents.
It is our collective belief that literacy is about more than reading books, it is the foundation of learning. Our access to language has significant impact on our quality of life and the accessibility of our dreams. Reading is an act of identity building and affirmation. It is a way to understand and question the world around us, and a source of joy.
Our society’s true strength rests on our educators’ ability to help all children develop literacy proficiency in its fundamental purpose and holistic value. Our success lies in how we realize a world of equitably educated children who are transformative thinkers and world-changers.
When we teach children to read, we open a world of possibility. When we invest in children’s literacy, we are investing in our children’s futures - our collective future. We have chosen to be explicit in identifying ourselves as anti-racist, and we know we need to build a movement around providing Black and Latinx children with the instruction, support, and advocacy they need to propel them into lifetimes of abundant outcomes. Together, we are committed to reenvisioning literacy instruction and sowing seeds of change.
Join us in this movement.
Reina Prowler
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Sandra Louk LaFleur
Chair, Board of Directors
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Are you interested in learning more? Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, The Read. Each edition we share insights on all things literacy, share stories of impact and helpful literacy tools, along with book lists to expand your classroom and at-home libraries!
