Learning to read by the end of third grade is a strong predictor of a student’s future academic achievement. Teachers’ literacy instruction plays a vital role in students’ reading development, but many teachers fail to receive adequate training in this area. A newly completed study from the American Institutes for Research found Children’s Literacy Initiative’s professional development program for teachers has a measurable impact on teacher and student literacy outcomes.

In 2013, the Nation’s Report Card determined that only 35% of U.S. fourth grade students were proficient readers. This means more than 10.6 million five-to-eight year-olds in kindergarten through third grade are not reading on grade level.¹

Students living in poverty are at the greatest risk of not reading on grade level; 83% of low-income students test below proficient in reading at the start of fourth grade.² This situation is particularly dire considering that reading by the end of third grade is an important predictor of later-in-life outcomes, such as graduating from high school on time. Students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma.³ Furthermore, adults who did not complete high school are more likely to be chronically unemployed and to live at or below the poverty line,⁴ reinforcing the cycle of economic disadvantage.

Teachers can play a pivotal role in turning these statistics around by ensuring students reach appropriate reading milestones. In fact, teacher effectiveness can account for as much as 90% of the variation in literacy achievement among students.⁵ Although teachers cannot change their students’ economic situation, they can make a difference for students from low-income families. When a student has an effective teacher for three years in a row, the negative impact of socioeconomic disadvantages is eliminated.⁶

In order to be effective, teachers require ongoing professional development. Unfortunately, a majority of these programs are unfocused, disconnected from in-class lessons and infrequent enough to actually improve teacher practice.⁷ In addition, there are few interventions that target teacher professional development to improve students’ reading achievement.

Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) is a non-profit organization focused on strengthening education in the U.S. by ensuring students can read by the end of third grade. CLI has honed its professional development program around early childhood literacy practices to improve both teacher and student outcomes. CLI professional development differs from other available programs in that it is evidence-based, connected to teacher daily practice and intensive. Teachers participate in training seminars where they learn practices that are reinforced by in-class coaching sessions with CLI Professional Developers. This provides teachers with the hands-on training they need to succeed.