Rennie Center Helps Design Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Literacy Launch Institutes 

Last year, the Healey-Driscoll Administration kicked off Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3, Governor Healey’s new approach to improving early literacy. Literacy Launch aims to ensure Massachusetts schools, educators, and students have access to high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction through literacy materials, technical support, coaching, and professional development for educators. The administration has made a significant monetary investment in this new, multi-year strategy, highlighting a critical focus on the future of early learners. 

As a core component of this initiative, the Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education and Early Education and Care are offering Literacy Launch Institutes, free training opportunities focused on preschool through third grade literacy.  HILL for Literacy will run the institutes with support from the Rennie Center. Our team will help to design and implement the statewide professional learning institutes and follow up with targeted support for educators on effectively implementing evidence-based practices. 

“Early literacy is the cornerstone of long-term educational success, providing students with the essential skills they need to thrive. The Rennie Center is proud to collaborate with HILL for Literacy, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Early Education and Care, and other key partners to invest in evidence-based, equitable practices that will make Massachusetts a leader in literacy outcomes,” said Chad d’Entremont, Executive Director of the Rennie Center.

The two Literacy Launch Institutes to be held this summer will each offer four full days of training for 300 educators. Participants will learn about evidence-based early literacy instructional practices that meet the unique needs of all students and can be incorporated into teaching. 

“It’s crucial for our teachers to be equipped with the materials and training they need to support all of their students,” said Governor Maura Healey. "This summer, these institutes will give hundreds of teachers and school leaders access to cutting-edge training in early literacy best practices at no cost.” 

“With Literacy Launch Institutes, we are advancing our commitment to equitable literacy education in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Any public-school early literacy educator is eligible to participate and get access to the best and most up-to-date early literacy knowledge and practices, regardless of where they teach or what role they play in their school.” 

This year’s Literacy Launch Institutes will be offered in Foxboro and Devens, with plans to expand to other locations around the state in the future. Any Massachusetts public school educator who supports literacy instruction in preschool through grade 3 is eligible to register at no cost until capacity is reached. This includes classroom teachers, special education teachers, English as a second language teachers, school principals and district leaders. Higher education faculty and leaders who train pre-service teachers in early literacy are also eligible to participate. In addition, community-based preschool teachers will be eligible to enroll as part of a partnership with their local school district. Participants will earn Professional Development Points (PDPs), and certain participants are eligible to receive a stipend for successful completion of the institutes. School teams that participate this summer will be eligible to apply for additional support throughout the 2025-26 school year.

“When our teachers have the training and support to use evidence-based, culturally sustaining practices, students can achieve the crucial educational milestone of learning to read by third grade,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Like any other profession, teachers need and deserve opportunities to keep their skills up to date with the most recent advances, and we look forward to providing them a free, high-quality learning experience at this summer’s institutes.”

“The foundation for strong literacy skills and a lifelong love of reading starts in early education," said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. "These new training opportunities will provide our educators — across settings, and age groups — with the critical tools, training, and resources they need to support success in the classroom and beyond.”   

In addition to HILL, other partners on the Literacy Launch Institutes include RMC Research Corporation (RMC), the Center for Teacher Education and Research at Westfield State University, and the Commonwealth Learning Center.

“We’ve brought together a highly-qualified team of experts across multiple organizations to bring DESE’s vision for the Literacy Launch Professional Learning Institutes to fruition,” said Darci Burns, Ph.D., Executive Director of HILL for Literacy.

Registration for this summer’s institutes is nearing capacity but there is some availability left! To learn more about the Literacy Launch Institutes or apply to join this summer visit https://literacylaunchinstitutes.org/. 

Note: Language for this blog post was sourced from press releases from the Healey-Driscoll Administration and HILL for Literacy.