Our Projects

Fulton County Schools

The Challenge

Fulton County Schools (FCS), Georgia’s fourth-largest district, launched Every Child Reads (ECR), a $90 million, multi-year initiative to overhaul K–12 literacy instruction by aligning it with the science of reading. The district aimed to shift from a balanced literacy model to structured literacy practices grounded in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This comprehensive effort included extensive professional development, hiring of literacy coaches, curriculum adoption, and high-dosage tutoring. To ensure the initiative's effectiveness, FCS sought a rigorous, multi-year evaluation to monitor implementation fidelity and measure impact on student outcomes.

Our Support

Fulton County Schools logo with the slogan 'Where Students Come First'

Gibson partnered with FCS over three years to conduct a holistic evaluation of the ECR initiative. The evaluation encompassed both formative and summative components:

  • Landscape and Gap Analyses: Assessed the instructional materials and practices in use across K–12 classrooms, evaluating their alignment with evidence-based literacy practices.

  • Implementation Analysis: Utilized document reviews, district-wide surveys, longitudinal focus groups with teachers and instructional coaches, interviews with district leaders, classroom observations, and analysis of student performance data (iReady and state assessments) to evaluate the fidelity of ECR implementation.

This comprehensive approach provided FCS with actionable insights into the effectiveness of the ECR initiative and areas for improvement.

Results

Gibson’s evaluation yielded significant findings that informed FCS’s literacy strategy:

  • Improved Student Outcomes: Third grade reading proficiency increased by 4 percentage points, reaching 76% in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

  • Recognition of Literacy Leadership: FCS led the state with 26 schools recognized as "Literacy Leaders" by the Georgia Department of Education for exceptional achievement or growth in reading proficiency.

  • Enhanced Instructional Support: Every elementary school was staffed with a dedicated literacy coach to support teachers in implementing structured literacy practices.

  • Strategic Resource Allocation: Findings from the evaluation guided the district in refining professional development programs, adjusting curriculum materials, and targeting resources to schools and student groups needing additional support.

The evaluation confirmed that the ECR initiative was effectively transforming literacy instruction across the district, leading to measurable improvements in student achievement.

Learn More

For more information on the Every Child Reads initiative and its impact, you can refer to the following resources:

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