Eighty Missouri Local Education Agencies Selected to Participate in $49 Million Literacy Grant

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is pleased to announce it has selected 80 early learning programs and public schools to receive funding and professional services through the U.S. Department of Education's Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant.

The five-year $49 million grant - more than doubles the amount of the previous CLSD grant awarded in 2020 - will provide statewide opportunities for early learning programs and K-12 schools to receive services and funds that directly align to DESE's Read, Lead, Exceed initiative. Services will include high-quality professional development for administrators, literacy coaches and teachers, access to CLSD literacy specialists, and family literacy support and resources.

"Literacy is one of DESE's priority areas, which makes this grant opportunity particularly exciting to share," said Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger. "This grant will provide our schools and early learning centers with the resources they need to continue promoting literacy in Missouri. Literacy is key to getting our students on their path to success."

The Missouri CLSD program is designed to align with DESE's Steps to Success state literacy plan. The goal of the program is to build capacity across the state to develop, implement, and sustain equitable systems of support to meet the literacy needs of all children, from birth to grade 12. Additionally, the grant will help increase knowledge for local education agency leaders, educators, and pre-service teachers to advance evidence-based literacy practices and implementation for all children, from birth through grade 12. More information about the CLSD grant may be found here. The list of awarded early learning programs and K-12 schools can be found on the CLSD webpage.