New Hanover County Schools awarded $8.7M grant for early literacy initiative

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (News Release) — New Hanover County Schools has plans for a robust new literacy initiative this school year thanks to an $8.7 million grant from the New Hanover Community Endowment.

The grant will fund 26 early literacy facilitators – one for every elementary school in the district, and one to service Pre-K schools – who will provide professional development to teachers for three years. It will also pay for two Pre-K teachers and two Pre-K teacher assistants, allowing the district to accommodate 36 more students for critical pre-literacy instruction.

The district has begun hiring for these positions and plans to have them in place for the start of the traditional school year on August 27.

“Strong communities begin with strong readers,” said Elementary English Language Arts Curriculum Specialist Maureen Hill, who along with former Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust applied for the grant with support from Chief Academic Officer Dr. Patrice Faison and Chief Financial Officer Ashley Sutton. “Over the past four years, we’ve seen steady improvements in student literacy achievement, as our staff have worked hard to complete rigorous training and align practices to the Science of Reading. This grant is going to give our teachers the ability to accelerate that work even further.”

Two goals in the current NHCS strategic plan include increasing the percentage of Pre-K students meeting or exceeding age expectations to 75% and achieving 90% of third-grade students reading at or above grade level by 2027.

Research shows that mastering reading by the end of third grade is crucial; students who don’t reach this milestone often struggle in later grades, with 90% of high school dropouts being struggling readers.

The impact of low literacy ripples out to a community, with low-literate adults being less likely to earn a living wage, vote, and manage their family’s health and finances.

“We’re excited to come alongside NHCS to support early education and this essential program. The literacy facilitator program is based on a proven approach started in Mississippi that has led to positive outcomes that we are confident NHCS can replicate here,” said Lakesha McDay, Executive Vice President for Programs and Operations at the Endowment. “This innovative approach directly aligns with our education strategic pillar, and we’re honored to support our schools as they work to continue to improve literacy which leads our community towards positive educational outcomes.”

The grant will allow NHCS to build on several years of banner academic success, Hill said. After teachers underwent rigorous training in the Science of Reading the district climbed to #15 in the state in academic ranking.

By the end of the 2023 school year, 90% of schools met or exceeded growth, 14 schools increased by a letter grade, and five schools came off the low-performing list.

NHCS was also recognized by the North Carolina Department of Instruction as the first-ever recipient of the Champions for Change Award for comprehensive efforts to improve student literacy.

“This grant is going to allow us to significantly further this work by providing innovative and dedicated support at every school,” Hill said. “We are so grateful for the investment the NHC Endowment board is making in our schools.”