Kudos to state, Lilly Endowment for continued focus on literacy

We’ve editorialized more than once about the emphasis the state, schools, parents and education organizations must put on literacy—even if that means taking drastic action that includes holding students back from moving on in school until they learn to read.

And we were excited to celebrate the significant improvement in third grade reading scores that the Indiana Department of Education announced in August.

More than 87% of third-graders who took the state’s IREAD test demonstrated proficient reading skills during the 2024-2025 school year. That’s nearly 5 percentage points higher than the scores released a year ago. And according to the data, some 6,000 more third-graders were assessed to be proficient in reading this year than last.

But we know the state and schools can’t take their foot off the accelerator when it comes to programs intended to help children—and teens and adults—improve their literacy.

So we were excited last week when state officials announced a public–private investment of nearly $75 million to accelerate literacy, expand high-quality summer learning, strengthen STEM programs, modernize and expand career advising, and maintain digital learning tools for Hoosier students.

The program is funded with $35 million from the state and $40 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

“This funding will yield tremendous value for Hoosier students, educators, and families,” Indiana Education Secretary Katie Jenner said in the announcement. “By aligning public dollars with funds from Lilly Endowment, we are better able to scale what works, address persistent challenges, and build the statewide infrastructure our students deserve. This funding will help our efforts to ensure that every child—no matter their ZIP code—has access to the high-quality learning opportunities that set them up for future success.”

The state plans to use more than $26 million specifically for literacy programs, including a program for students in grades 6-8 and the expansion of the Indiana K-5 Literacy Cadre, a program in which schools can get help with evidence-based reading instruction. The DOE said the money will support staffing for IDOE’s Literacy Center, recruitment and training of instructional coaches, statewide professional learning, and independent research and evaluation.

Lilly Endowment provided a $60 million grant to IDOE in 2022 to help establish the Literacy Cadre program.

Other programs that will be supported by the public-private partnership are focused on summer learning labs, a statewide digital library and tutoring programs—all of which are likely to strengthen literacy, even if that’s not the programs’ primary goal.

We applaud the state’s continued emphasis on literacy and particularly the Indiana Literacy Cadre, for which the state partners with the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning and Marian University’s Center for Vibrant Schools. The program provides early elementary teachers with embedded instructional coaching and support that the DOE says is aligned with the science of reading, which uses phonics, vocabulary and other methods to teach literacy.

We believe consistency is key to success and appreciate Lilly Endowment’s continued support of that program and others.•

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