| |  | The Western Massachusetts Literacy Collaborative (WMLC) recently received a $190,000 Early Literacy Consortium (ELC) grant from the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Through the WMLC, local colleges and local schools work together to address teacher preparation, student literacy, and enhance classroom practices. Elms College is the lead institution in the WMLC, which also includes American International College, Bay Path University, Springfield College, and Westfield State University. The school districts include Springfield Public Schools, East Longmeadow Public Schools and the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership. Also included are early education sites - Educare Springfield and Square One. A key part of the collaborative is the Summer Learn & Earn Literacy Corps, which prepares college students studying to be future educators to teach culturally responsive and evidence-based literacy practices. The college students then work as summer school tutors teaching elementary and middle school students on ways to improve their reading skills.
This past summer, the Learn & Earn Literacy Corps attracted 34 tutors to help nearly 200 elementary and secondary students identified as needing support with reading skills. The WMLC has been used as a model by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to encourage other colleges and public schools to partner in addressing literacy needs in their region.
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