Reading Apprenticeship has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to improve subject-area teaching and learning at the secondary level in Arizona, Michigan, and Texas. The two-year grant (2021-23) comes from the USDE’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program. The grant enables WestEd to deepen Reading Apprenticeship teacher professional learning in three locations that were part of a 2018-2021 SEED grant project.

“This new grant will enable us to identify and support best practices for working with district, regional, and state leaders and teachers to sustain inquiry-based professional learning at the secondary level,” says Literacy Director Dr. Linda Friedrich.

The award includes a qualitative evaluation that builds on a student impact study already underway. Reading Apprenticeship leaders will gain a unique opportunity to examine how the project’s teaching and learning strategies supported teachers and students during the COVID years in which they adapted to accommodate online and hybrid settings.

Through the grant, Reading Apprenticeship staff will work both directly with teachers and through established local partners. The collaboration will build local capacity and sustainability for enduring professional learning in districts serving diverse and low-wealth student populations. The project will engage teachers, students, and leaders via the following partnerships:

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact Associate Director Mary Stump at mstump@WestEd.org.