| TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) today announced it has awarded almost $13.6 million for the first year of federally funded Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grants to improve student literacy throughout the state.
“My Administration has made it a priority to equip our children with the skills and support necessary to set them up for lifelong success. This includes our work to bolster literacy education and improve literacy rates among New Jersey students, ensuring our young learners can thrive in the classroom and throughout their academic careers,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Literacy is the tool that unlocks the opportunities education creates for our students. These grant awards will help sustain our efforts to infuse best practices into classrooms across our state, uplifting our school communities with crucial tools and resources.”
“Literacy is a foundational skill needed for learning in all subjects, and these grants build upon our commitment to improving literacy for students across New Jersey,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. “The strength of this initiative is its comprehensive design. It builds a network of teacher coaches, equips schools with training and high-quality materials, and supports readers from birth through high school.”
“Literacy is the foundation for success in every lesson our children are taught, and building that foundation requires the commitment of everyone – parents, educators, and students alike,” said Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz. “These new grant programs take a holistic approach to strengthening literacy – training educators to deliver effective instruction, equipping schools with evidence-based resources, and fostering meaningful familial connections through reading at home. This is just one of the first exciting strides in what will be a years-long pursuit to improve our literacy infrastructure and ensure we meet the needs of every young reader.”
New Jersey was awarded a total of $50 million in the federal CLSD grant to be used over five years. The first year of New Jersey’s CLSD program establishes four distinct grant programs:
- Cultivating Ongoing Achievement through Coaching in Literacy (COACH-L grants) for teacher coaches: Nearly $6 million in grant funding will help 41 school districts and charter schools hire or train qualified literacy coaches to support kindergarten to grade-12 educators. Grantees will participate in a statewide coaching network.
- Reading Intervention for Secondary Engagement (RISE) for middle and high-school readers: Over $1,000,000 will provide funding for school districts and charter schools to implement evidence-based best practices or high-quality literacy instruction materials identified through criteria set by the NJDOE. Eligible costs include tutors, literacy coaches, and staff training. A total of 31 districts and charter schools have been awarded up to $50,000 in the first round of funding.
- Instructional Materials for Professional Advancement and Coherent Teaching (IMPACT) grants for high-quality instruction materials and training: This nearly $5 million grant will help schools implement high-quality instructional materials and provide professional development to ensure staff will effectively utilize the materials. Awards have been given to 25 school districts and charter schools, which range up to $400,000.
- Literacy Initiative for Families and Thriving Communities (LIFT) grants for family outreach: This nearly $1.6 million initiative, led by the NJDOE in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, provides funding of up to $60,000 for 41 districts and charter schools in this initial year to create programs that develop home-based literacy habits and encourage family involvement in literacy development of children from newborns to age 3.
The grants will build upon the recently released New Jersey Literacy Framework, the NJDOE’s resource that supports school districts with valuable evidence-based guidance on the implementation of high-quality literacy screening assessments and strategies for successful literacy instruction and intervention.
Pending the availability of federal funds, the CLSD grant program will continue supporting the COACH program for awarded grantees in good standing for the next four years, and introduce new cohorts of awardees for the IMPACT, LIFT, and RISE grant programs. The NJDOE also intends to make an additional round of LIFT grants available this year.
The preliminary awards for each grant program for the 2025-2026 school year are as follows: |
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