Help Secure Literacy Funding in the State Budget!

The IL Early Literacy Coalition requested $45 million to support literacy plan implementation and regional literacy coaching hubs. Governor Pritzker and the State Board of Education proposed a much more modest $3 million in their introduced budgets, which would be a decent start. Illinois' literacy crisis is urgent and solvable. Students who cannot read by fourth grade are 4 times less likely to graduate high school.

In 2023, only 35% of Illinois fourth graders could read at a basic reading level. ISBE's new literacy plan offers research-aligned guidance for literacy instruction. Please help us secure $45 million in literacy funding in the budget this year so the literacy plan can truly come alive instead of sitting on a shelf.

Join us and contact your legislators, urging them to commit $45 million for literacy in the budget to help bring Illinois a little closer to ensuring all students have access to evidence-based literacy instruction. We’ve provided a customizable, pre-written email that only takes 3 minutes to send!