360

Lauderdale County Schools Selected as 1 of only 8 Mentor Districts Statewide for Pre-K–12 Literacy Implementation Networks

Implementation Networks to Support High-Quality Literacy Instruction

The Tennessee Department of Education announced the 48 districts selected to participate in the optional, Pre-K–12 Literacy Implementation Networks, part of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students.  

As part of Reading 360, eight regional implementation networks will consist of 48 districts with the overarching goal of supporting the implementation of high-quality English Language Arts (ELA) instructional materials for Pre-K–12 students through competitive grants over the next five years.  

Each regional implementation network will consist of one mentor district, 4-6 participating districts, and a regionally selected vendor partner, with the option of selecting an elementary, middle or high school focus. 

Mentor districts like Lauderdale Co. have multiple years of high-quality instructional materials implementation experience and will help build capacity of participant districts who have adopted and purchased new ELA materials in the past year. Additionally, mentor districts will support participant districts’ system-level implementation strategy.  

The districts selected to make up the eight regional Pre- K–12 implementation networks are:  

Mentor Districts 

Participating Districts 

Lauderdale County Schools 

-Paris Special School District -Henry County Schools   -Trenton Special School District                  -Stewart County Schools   -Dyer County Schools 

Haywood County Schools     

-Shelby County Schools                                -Tipton County Schools  

-Achievement School District                     -Crockett County Schools

Sumner County Schools 

-Robertson County Schools                         -Wilson County Schools 

-Lebanon Special School District                -Dickson County Schools 

-Maury County Schools                                -Hickman County Schools 

Trousdale County Schools     

-Smith County Schools                                 -Cannon County Schools 

-Clay County Schools                                    -Jackson County Schools 

-Van Buren County Schools 

Putnam County Schools 

-Bledsoe County Schools                             -Pickett County Schools 

-Overton County Schools                            -Fentress County Schools 

-Cumberland County Schools 

Lenoir City Schools 

-Knox County Schools                                   -Hamilton County Schools 

-McMinn County Schools                             -Athens City Schools 

-Sweetwater City Schools 

Marshall County Schools 

-Marion County Schools                               -Dayton City Schools 

-Lincoln County Schools                               -Franklin County Schools 

-Lawrence County Schools 

Unicoi County Schools 

-Cocke County Schools                                 -Sullivan County Schools 

-Washington County Schools                      -Union County Schools 

-Sevier County Schools 

The district partnerships will help ensure teachers have the resources and support necessary to offer high-quality learning experiences for all children. Additionally, the networks will provide free coaching support for the training and use of Tennessee Instructional Practice Guides.  

This competitive grant opportunity was open to all Tennessee districts to apply. The selected mentor and participating districts will agree to the grant requirements, which includes data sharing and a five-year commitment per the $20 million federal Comprehensive State Literacy Development (CSLD) grant awarded to the department to support the launch of the regional implementation networks.  

Reading 360 is a comprehensive statewide literacy initiative to provide optional grants and resources to help more Tennessee students develop strong phonics-based reading skills by supporting districts, teachers, and families. 

To launch Reading 360 and invest in optional reading resources and supports at no cost to the state or districts, the state is leveraging approximately $60 million of one-time federal COVID-19 relief funding and $40 million in federal grant funding.