Professional Learning

Why does this matter?

If teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach reading, they can have a greater positive impact on children’s literacy. Unfortunately, thousands of teachers are in classrooms right now without sufficient knowledge of the science of reading. States can help close the gap in teachers’ knowledge and skills by requiring and funding high-quality professional learning.

Why does D.C. stand out?

The District of Columbia requires training for all elementary teachers in scientifically-based reading instruction. The state also allocates funding for training in scientifically-based reading instruction for in-service teachers.

The District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) used ESSER funds from the pandemic to purchase training from TNTP on the science of reading. This training required a one-time payment of nearly $1 million from OSSE, and the training now lives on the state’s learning management system, where it is offered asynchronously to teachers across the state at no cost. The state also leveraged federal ESSER funding and Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant funding to provide Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training for a large share of teachers and administrators, with a heavier emphasis on early childhood teachers (D.C. offers free universal preschool). Between the money from the state and an additional push for this training from District of Columbia Public Schools (the traditional public school district within D.C.), altogether, nearly 10% of the teacher workforce has either started or completed training in scientifically-based reading instruction.