Spotlight Michigan: A literacy ecosystem for sustainable reading growth
District Snapshot:
- Location: Lansing, Michigan
- Size: 10,000 students; 23 schools
- Demographics:
- 80% free/reduced lunch
- 20% English learners
- 20% Special education
- Staffing reality:
- 50% of teachers are in their first to third year of teaching
- Half of that subgroup are uncertified or alternative-certification pathway
Featured products:
What we have is a lot of students who are benefiting from the resources and a lot of teachers who have stepped out of their comfort zone to try something new because they’re seeing success. They’re hearing us say that we are the district in the state with the highest growth in proficiency rates. We attribute that impact to the curricular tools we’re using, the intentionality with coaching and training we are providing our teachers, and the use of a targeted intervention program district-wide.
Heather Guerra
Located in the capital city, in south central Michigan, Lansing School District has a diverse school population with unique and urgent needs. With strong leadership, they made a commitment to meaningful implementation and an intentional focus on coaching. They aligned their literacy ecosystem and set a high bar—and it’s making a real difference. In four years, the district moved from the lowest performing statewide to the highest growth in ELA proficiency in Michigan, all while building sustainable systems for teachers and students. Not only that, their attendance is up, and their rates of chronic absenteeism are down.
Kids want to be there because they are learning—and they know it.
Access the full story now: What you’ll learn
- How to design intervention as temporary support rather than permanent placement
- The implementation partnership that turned lowest-performing district into highest growth in Michigan
- The sustainability strategy that will keep programs running despite future potential staffing uncertainties
