Georgia Council on Literacy-April 15 Meeting

The Georgia Council on Literacy met April 15 at Valdosta State University. The meeting included a panel discussion about literacy improvement efforts in three school districts, an update on Georgia Reads Community Awards, and status reports from council working groups.

The full agenda is linked below.

April 15 Agenda

CARES Impact Literacy Case Study

This case study, part of the CARES Impact Study project by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), examines how three school districts in Georgia utilized federal pandemic relief funds to improve student literacy.

The literacy case study examines each district's efforts and outlines commonalities between all three. It also provides considerations for policymakers based on these findings. 

Welcome Messages and Recognitions

Following welcome messages from university president Dr. Richard Carvajal and Dean David Slykhuis, faculty and students in Valdosta State's College of Education and Human Services outlined how the university is implementing literacy standards and other work related to literacy instruction.

Council Chair Scott Johnson recognized Christie Moore and Rep. Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge) for their appointments to the Council. Johnson then provided an overview of recently passed state legislation and budget items related to literacy. Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also praised the General Assembly members and staff who worked on literacy initiatives and noted the efforts of Dayle Burns, a former educator and wife of House Speaker Jon Burns.

CARES Impact Study and Panel Discussion

Dana Rickman and Claire Suggs from GPEE moderated a panel discussion on literacy improvement efforts. This panel was an extension of a GPEE case study on how three districts used COVID-19 relief funds to improve literacy.

The panel was comprised of representatives from the three districts included in the case study. Panelists included Michael Singletary, director of curriculum and instruction assessment and school improvement for Grady County Schools, Kerri-Ann Williams, director of literacy for Fulton County Schools, and Grant Rivera, superintendent of Marietta City Schools.

Each panelist spoke to their district's work to improve literacy instruction and outcomes.

• Williams presented on Fulton's Every Child Reads Initiative, which was initially developed to address pandemic learning loss. The district has extensively studied this initiative to inform long-term efforts.

• Singletary spoke to the development of Grady's district-wide literacy plan and the importance of using professional learning and data collection to continually support and improve instruction.

• Rivera discussed various struggles faced by Marietta City Schools, such as high levels of transient and ESOL students. He also discussed the need for community partnerships to address early childhood literacy needs, the importance of high-quality teachers, and the need for ongoing literacy instruction in secondary education.

The panelist then answered several questions from the moderators and council members. Discussion themes included the importance of supportive school leadership, community partnerships, and targeted support for vulnerable students. Panelists also emphasized the value of properly trained literacy coaches, effective literacy screeners, and the use of data to inform further improvements.

Mitchell Shares Update on Community Efforts

Malcolm Mitchell gave an update on the Georgia Reads Community Awards, which provide $25,000 in support for community-based literacy improvement efforts to 10 selected community partnerships. He described recent award visits to several of the chosen communities and invited council members to attend the remaining 2025 community visits.

Taskforce Updates

School Leadership

The School Leadership Working Group has been developing recommendations for the council regarding school leader training. As part of this effort, the working group has been reviewing such work in other states.

Birth to Age 5

The Birth-5 Working Group thanked legislators for increased CAPS funding and underlined the importance of continued program support. The working group also provided updates on revisions to Georgia Early Language Development Standards (GELDS) and the development of the Georgia Early Learning Language and Literacy Lab. Both of these efforts will be completed later in the summer.

K-12

Originally the “K-5 Working Group,” the working group has been renamed to capture its expanded scope. The K-12 Working Group is looking to promote consistency in guidelines for literacy interventions. The update also included information on how the Barriers to Learning Group was continuing its work to improve vision and hearing screening in Georgia.

Educator Preparation

The Educator Preparation Working Group stated that 100% of EPPs have demonstrated their curriculum aligns with the science of reading. The group also provided updates on changes to GACE assessments and efforts to develop literacy coaching best practices.

Community

The Community Working Group reported that Georgia Reads Communities were able to present about their successful practices at the working group's last meeting. The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy will be conducting a review of community efforts, with results expected in 2026.

The full Council on Literacy will meet July 22 at Dalton State College. More information can be found here.