​Georgia Department of Education creates ‘Literacy Think Tank’
Agency partners with higher education to design strategies for literacy

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org

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View a glimpse of the first Literacy Think Tank meeting here.

View a longer video here.

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October 31, 2016 – The Georgia Department of Education, in partnership with the Get Georgia Reading Campaign and the Georgia Alliance of Education Agency Heads, is convening a “Literacy Think Tank” composed of literacy faculty from Georgia’s colleges and universities. This group of 58 teacher educators will review data about the ways communities and schools are creating conditions for learning and help design strategies to engage teachers across the state as partners, so that every child has a teacher who uses high-quality instructional methods for literacy.

The Literacy Think Tank is part of Georgia’s statewide literacy initiative and efforts to engage all stakeholders to ensure that every child is on a path to reading proficiently by third grade. The GaDOE is also working with classroom teachers through its English Language Arts Advisory Committee, as well as community groups, students, and teachers from around the state.

“As we work to ensure that all Georgia students are prepared with the crucial skill of literacy, we need everyone who has an impact on classroom learning at the table,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The new Literacy Think Tank is an exciting opportunity to partner more closely with higher education and work to enhance literacy alongside the individuals and institutions who prepare our classroom teachers.”

The Literacy Think Tank held its first meeting September 27, discussing the need for a focus on literacy in Georgia, the state and federal context for an increased focus on literacy, and next steps for the statewide literacy plan.

“Georgia has been steadily improving literacy learning over the last ten years,” said Caitlin Dooley, GaDOE’s Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. “We need to scale that improvement and ensure that every child has access to a great literacy teacher. This group of literacy faculty are critical to this goal – they’re the ones who do the work and know the context. We can’t do this without their help.”