ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) \u2014 Erin Babb smiles as she leads a reading lesson for a small group of second graders at Hickory Hills Elementary School, part of a growing push to strengthen literacy instruction in Georgia classrooms.<\/p>\n
The district began placing literacy coaches in all elementary schools in 2021 in an effort to identify curriculum gaps and help students like Mackenzie Quinn learn to read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love reading because some books give us a lot of information about important stuff that we should know,\u201d Quinn said.<\/p>\n
Since literacy coaches were added in Marietta City Schools, the district reports third-grade reading scores have increased by 17 points, along with an 11% rise in the number of students reading at or above grade level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s changed our teachers and how they think about kids and think about reading,\u201d Hickory Hills Principal Kristen Beaudin said.<\/p>\n
Beaudin said literacy coaches work alongside teachers to model instruction, provide feedback and refine lesson strategies, while also leading small-group instruction for students who need additional support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a football team wants to run a new play or learn a new skill, they don\u2019t just throw the team out there and say try it,\u201d Beaudin said. \u201cThere\u2019s a coach in there modeling, providing feedback, doing repetition, just as many things as they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting next year, every elementary school in the state will be required to have a literacy coach following Gov. Brian Kemp\u2019s signing of House Bill 1193. The positions will be funded through state grant money and are expected to be in place by the 2027\u20132028 school year.<\/p>\n
Georgia currently ranks about 30th in education nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report. Beaudin said she believes the initiative could help improve those rankings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will no longer be a conversation of what\u2019s wrong with Georgia schools, but a conversation of what\u2019s happening in Georgia schools,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could lead the nation in literacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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