ATLANTA — With 62% of third-grade students in Georgia not reading proficiently, literacy coaches are now being placed in all Georgia schools as part of a statewide effort to improve reading outcomes, officials said.
Officials said a new study provides a unified model for literacy instruction and coaching across schools and a statewide map of literacy coaching resources is now in place to support implementation.
The move builds on earlier state efforts to improve reading proficiency, including legislation passed by the Georgia House aimed at strengthening literacy instruction.
Dr. Lindee Morgan, director of the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, said some educators may be hesitant to adopt new approaches.
“That’s an issue that in the interviews and focus groups that we did with coaches and coaching leaders that sometimes there is a resistance,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the study is intended to guide training and implementation in schools but warned that improvements will take time.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved literacy legislation aimed at improving reading rates across Georgia.
It was signed into law by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp last month. The legislation requires literacy coaches in every public elementary school in Georgia, encourages earlier enrollment in school, and expands options for retaining students who are not reading on grade level.
Last year, Atlanta Public Schools also created a literacy council as part of local efforts to address the issue.