Our Impact
“The research is clear, reading on grade level by third grade is a priority for us as a system.”
-Dr. David K. Moore (SDIRC Superintendent)
In the past year we have…
- Distributed over 5,000 books and 1,500 Learning Kits
- SDIRC improved state ranking from 16th to 12th out of 67 school districts
- Outperformed the state of Florida by 5 percentage points for 3rd grade reading scores (State: 53%, SDIRC: 58%)
In the past year we have…
- Trained and coached 350 educators in the Science of Reading
- Supported 55 Voluntary Pre-K Teachers educators with a Prevention Intervention Coach
In the past year we have…
- Provided 4,500 students in grades K-3 with afterschool, in-school and summer programs
- Supported 250 Pre-K students with a Prevention Intervention Coach
The Learning Alliance is uniquely positioned to take best practices and research-based programming and apply those practices in a real-world context here in Indian River County. This applied research approach has allowed us to bring innovative programs and strategies here to improve literacy outcomes for our children from birth – 3rd grade.
Oak Foundation Names Vero Beach as One of Four Bright Spots in the Country
In March of 2020, The Oak Foundation published research on early literacy improvement efforts. The Learning Alliance contributed to the report by sharing efforts underway in Indian River County to improve early literacy. The report titled, Research to Action: Improving K-3 Literacy Instruction for Students with Learning Differences, named Vero Beach a Bright Spot for the work The Learning Alliance is doing to address the literacy crisis.
PACESETTER Award for The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
The Learning Alliance is the managing partner of our Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement, and coordinates the work of our Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) group. Since 2012, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has recognized our Moonshot Moment movement as a Pacesetter for our collaborative work toward the 90% literacy goal.Most recently, The Learning Alliance has received its 10th Pacesetter Award for our innovative work as one of the leading literacy programs in the nation. Thanks to the help of our MCAN leaders and community members, The Learning Alliance revived our FACES campaign to showcase the faces of early literacy; FACES: Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Leaders.
2016-2017 Study by Endicott College, Program Evaluation and Research Group (PERG)
Researchers from PERG studied the effects of The Learning Alliance (TLA) Professional Development on teachers’ learning and practice, student engagement and learning, and school leadership and support. Key findings included improved literacy outcomes, transformation of teacher practice, and increased student engagement.“We were impressed with the strong evidence of practice related to The Learning Alliance’s (TLA) goals in the classrooms of teachers who had been deeply involved with TLA’s work. Students in these classrooms demonstrated strong social-emotional skills, foundational literacy and applied literacy, all of which are linked to the deep learning critical to being 21st-century citizens.” – Dr. Debra Richardson Smith, Director of Program Evaluation and Research Group, Endicott College.
