Massachusetts Awarded $25 Million for Literacy Grants
The Partnership for Reading Success program helps 71 school districts modernize early grade reading curricula.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Primary Education
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In Summer 2026, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education distributed nearly $25 million in grant funding across 71 public school districts. This initiative aims to address post-pandemic literacy declines for students in kindergarten through third grade.
Why it matters
Literacy proficiency by the end of third grade is a critical academic milestone, as students reading below grade level face greater struggles in later years. State officials launched this effort after standardized MCAS scores failed to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The state awarded $25 million to 71 districts, with localized support including $934,185 for Pittsfield, $102,000 for Hoosac Valley, and $289,875 for a joint Farmington and Gateway regional effort. These figures support mandated evidence-based reading curriculum updates.
The players
Maura Healey
The current Governor of Massachusetts who signed legislation requiring evidence-based reading and writing curricula for early elementary grades.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The state agency responsible for overseeing public education standards and distributing literacy grant funding.
Johns Hopkins University
A research institution whose study identified significant literacy skill gap closure among students utilizing online tutoring programs.
The details
Districts are utilizing the funding to hire specialized reading interventionists and integrate online one-to-one tutoring platforms. These programs focus on closing skill gaps, which have shown positive results in early testing, with 84 percent of Hoosac Valley kindergarteners closing gaps. Schools also established curriculum councils to evaluate and implement new instructional materials compliant with state legislative mandates.
Timeline
Last year, Pittsfield established a curriculum council and chose pilot programs.
School districts were notified of PRISM grant awards in Summer 2026.
Pittsfield is currently implementing the chosen curriculum for the school year.
The Home Front
These grants mark a significant investment in meeting the requirements of the Massachusetts state literacy curriculum mandate. This funding cycle follows a statewide trend of prioritizing early-grade reading interventions to counter lingering post-pandemic achievement gaps.
Parents should check their local district's school calendar to see if new literacy programs or reading intervention hours are being introduced this year. Families can also ask school administrators about the specific evidence-based curricula now being utilized in their child's classroom.
The takeaway
Literacy proficiency remains the core focus of state academic efforts following the pandemic. Parents can support this at home by tracking their child's progress against the new grade-level benchmarks introduced during this curriculum rollout.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in local school funding at Primary Education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Berkshire Eagle.
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