The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) has been awarded $8.7 million through the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program, a highly competitive federal grant initiative supporting evidence-based solutions to persistent challenges in education.

The $8,709,923 award is part of a $256 million national investment funding 24 new EIR projects in Fiscal Year 2025. Notably, 10 awards were made to state education agencies, the largest number of state-led awards in the program’s history, highlighting the critical role of state leadership in advancing education research, innovation, and scalable impact.

Delaware’s Literacy for We the People project advances evidence-based literacy instruction integrated with civics and history with a focus on scaling practices that improve outcomes for high-need students. DDOE will coordinate nationally with the Center for Civic Education in Washington, D.C., and work with long-standing local partners at the University of Delaware’s Center for Civics Education.

“This investment recognizes the important work Delaware educators are doing every day to help students become strong readers and thoughtful members of their communities,” Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said. “By bringing literacy together with civics and history, we are creating learning experiences that build confidence, curiosity, and critical thinking—especially for students who deserve the greatest support—while continuing to expand the evidence-based practices taking root across our state.”

Through this grant, Delaware will:

• Strengthen educator capacity to deliver explicit, evidence-based literacy instruction integrated with civics and history in grades 4–8, aligned to the Delaware Literacy Coalition’s Strategic Plan for grades 4-8.
• Increase student attainment of English language arts and history/social studies standards while deepening civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions;
• Scale Science of Reading-aligned practices already underway in Delaware’s Early Literacy Leadership Academy (ELLA) and Secondary Literacy Leadership Academy (SeLLA),
• Expand integrated literacy approaches across the social studies disciplines and other content areas to align with Delaware’s literacy standards for grades 6–12.

In addition to supporting Delaware students and educators, the project will contribute to the national evidence base on effective literacy and civics integration.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

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