Program Office: Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs

CFDA Number: 84.215G
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants

The Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program supports high-quality programs designed to develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through 12th grade within the attendance boundaries of high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools.  The U.S. Department of Education (Department) intends to support innovative programs that promote early literacy for young children, motivate older children to read, and increase student achievement by using school libraries, distributing free books to children and their families, and offering high-quality literacy activities.  

Many schools and districts across the Nation do not have school libraries that deliver high-quality literacy programming to children and their families.  Additionally, many schools do not have qualified library media specialists and library facilities.  Where facilities do exist, they are often under-resourced and lack adequate books and other materials.  In many communities, high-need children and students have limited access to appropriate age- and grade-level reading material in their homes.   The IAL program supports the implementation of high-quality plans for childhood literacy activities and book distribution efforts that are supported by at least one study that meets the definition of scientifically valid research.