Structured literacy coaches hired to work in Georgia’s highest-need elementary schools are making a significant impact on reading achievement, the Georgia Department of Education’s report on the first year of the initiative shows.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, GaDOE placed full-time literacy coaches in 60 elementary schools throughout the state, focused on the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools and impacting more than 18,000 students. These school-level coaches worked to boost teacher capacity and effectiveness and improve K-3 student literacy outcomes through job-embedded, evidence-based coaching aligned with Georgia’s Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act.

In the 60 high-need schools that were part of the coaching initiative, universal screener data showed a 15% improvement in student reading after one year of coaching implementation, with the strongest gains in kindergarten.

“Targeting intensive supports where they’re most needed, by placing coaches directly in our most challenged schools, has shown immediate promise,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “This initiative has strengthened teacher practice, improved student reading outcomes, and reduced the number of at-risk readers – laying a strong foundation for lasting, statewide literacy success.”

In addition to the gains in performance, teachers credited coaching with improving their confidence, instruction, and use of data. Relationships built through coaching were foundational to success, with the largest gains in schools where coaches spent the majority of their time in classrooms, while also collaborating with teachers through professional learning communities.

GaDOE Director of Literacy Amy Denty presented the findings to the Georgia Council on Literacy Tuesday, July 22.

“Extensive research underscores the critical role of school-based coaches in improving instruction,” Denty said. “Georgia’s literacy legislation affirms this by requiring onsite teacher training in structured literacy, modeled lessons, and timely feedback. Without question, one of the most powerful levers we have to ensure all Georgia students become strong readers is a dedicated, school-based literacy coach focused solely on supporting classroom teachers.”

Background on Georgia’s Literacy Coaching Initiative

During the 2024-2025 school year, the Georgia Department of Education launched a statewide initiative placing Structured Literacy Coaches in the lowest-performing 5 percent of elementary schools (those identified for Comprehensive Support & Improvement, or CSI).

These school-level coaches worked to ensure an intensive focus on literacy in schools identified for additional support, as part of GaDOE’s broader tiered coaching model.

The state’s coaching model is designed to leverage the efforts of locally hired literacy and instructional coaches throughout the state, while providing a unified statewide framework and pushing in additional supports where needed. Through this tiered and tailored model, teachers and leaders throughout the state received proven, nationally recognized training in structured literacy and the science of reading.

Georgia’s statewide coaching model is overseen by Dr. J. Nicholas Philmon, who played an integral role in the development of structured literacy practices in Marietta City Schools.

In the first year of implementation, GaDOE placed coaches in the 60 lowest-performing elementary schools, ultimately impacting more than 1,000 teachers and 18,000 students. Coaches focused on bridging structured literacy knowledge to practice, supporting the implementation of high-quality instructional materials, and using data to guide instruction.

The initiative is already influencing practice in schools and districts across the state, with tools developed by Georgia’s literacy coaches gaining statewide adoption and attention. With 85% of coaches returning and refinements underway for year two, this initiative is building a strong foundation for sustainable literacy improvement across Georgia.

Learn more about Georgia’s focus on literacy here.