Our Impact

Our 2019-20 School Year

We stand out from other organizations providing books and professional development – our programs are independently evaluated and proven to transform learning outcomes for children.

Students Served

Schools served

Educators Served

Books Distributed

COVID-19 & the Changing Education Landscape

In March 2020, when COVID-19 struck and physical classrooms closed, CLI district partners scrambled to provide distance-learning solutions for students. Having previously made initial investments in online learning for teachers, CLI quickly pivoted its 30+ years of experience to give students, teachers and districts the support they needed as quickly as possible.

Learn more about our COVID response >>

42,000

hours of virtual
coaching for teachers

1,300

Literacy Lesson Plans For Distance Learning

350

Read Aloud And
Lessons Videos

Transforming Learning During a Crisis

In the predominantly Black and Brown communities served by CLI, families were hit disproportionately hard not only by COVID-19 health issues, but also by job losses and housing and food insecurity. Many of the households in these CLI-served districts, on top of dealing with traumatic events, didn’t have reliable internet connections or consistent access to online schooling technology. These issues compounded quickly, making more apparent than ever the inequities in education that so many CLI-served communities face.

See how we support literacy in our regions >>

We Coach Teachers

In order to truly change practices, professional development should occur over time and preferably be ongoing.

Learn more about our Coaching Model >>

Independently Validated Results

CLI’s work has been validated by prestigious independent organizations and has garnered national attention for its ability to raise student literacy scores while building schools’ internal capacities for teacher professional development.

Independent Study Proves Children's Literacy Initiative's Methodology Provides Significant Results

Results from a three-year, randomized control-group study of CLI’s i3 project in four cities by American Institutes for Research, showed that:

Kindergarten and second grade students in CLI schools scored significantly higher on standardized early reading tests than students whose teachers were not exposed to CLI.

CLI had a significant positive impact on the quality of teachers’ literacy instruction in both kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

Sustained Impact & ROI

Schools served by CLI’s i3 Validation project in Philadelphia and Chicago are still outperforming the control schools from that study on third grade, standardized assessments.

Learn more about our i3 Project >>

University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High-Impact Philanthropy

UPenn’s Center for High-Impact Philanthropy has re-affirmed CLI as an “exemplar agent” improving early literacy education and making a long-term impact year after year.

View the Report >>

OMG Center for Collaborative Learning

A 2009 control-group study by OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, funded by the William Penn Foundation, showed that kindergartners and first graders in Philadelphia schools with CLI classrooms consistently outperformed peers on district literacy skill assessments.

OMG Center for Collaborative Learning >>

Teacher & Student Impact Across the Country

CLI and partners across the country are using these challenging moments as an opportunity to come together to find ways to move forward. We are sharing our learnings with the rest of the education community, broadening our reach and deepening our impact.

*DATA FROM 2019-20 CLI-ADMINISTERED TEACHER SURVEYS

of responding teachers serving prekindergarten and children ages 0-3 agreed that CLI was instrumental in facilitating the progress that they witnessed in students’ literacy skills

of responding Chicago teachers agreed that CLI was instrumental in facilitating the student progress teachers witness in their students’ literacy skills

of responding Northern New Jersey teachers agreed that CLI was instrumental in facilitating the student progress teachers witness in their students’ literacy skills

See More Impact Across Our Regions

By helping educators learn high impact instructional strategies and nurturing dynamic professional learning communities, CLI builds lasting capacity in teachers and principals over time.

Student Impact >>

Teacher Impact >>