Our programs

School-Based Partnerships

Equipping schools in the science of reading and implementation through cohort-based teacher training, coaching, and leader support.

In MLI-supported schools, teachers learn, leaders grow, and systems change…so that students read. 

school-based model

MLI’s school model is a dynamic synthesis of research and practical, long-standing experience in high-needs school environments.

Our model strategically identifies four essential elements needed to positively impact student literacy outcomes: teacher content knowledge, literacy curriculum, instructional practices, and school leadership. Our first school partnership was with Capstone Education Group’s new charter school (Cornerstone Prep School, CPS) during the 2022-2023 school year, with kindergarten only, growing to grades K-8 by adding one grade per year. MLI partnered with CPS to implement with fidelity our school literacy model to serve as both a demonstration site of the effectiveness of our model and as a training site for local leaders and teachers. We are continuing our partnership with CPS during the 2023-2024 school year, while also bringing Compass Orange Mound on as a literacy partner school.

Impact statements:

  • Uniquely partnered with individual school sites, MLI leverages Implementation Science and the Science of Reading to move research to practice

  • We support leaders in changing the ways they think about and (re)build effective school structures.

  • "My professional learning with MLI has greatly impacted the way in which I understand and view both teacher and student data. My understanding of reading best practices and strategies has altered the way in which I view reading instruction and how I reflect on best next steps."

    — MLI Leader

  • "Using what I learned with a classroom of students and seeing the growth of students was impactful. Students' deep understanding of how the sounds are formed correctly gave students confidence and ownership of their reading."

    — Teacher Quote

  • "In my twenty years of teaching, this year was the most successful. All students met grade level goals on MAP. I am confident that I promoted a whole class prepared for first grade."

    — Teacher Quote

  • Kindergarteners at the school launch site scored higher in reading than their local counterparts.

  • At the initial launch school site, kindergarten students identified as at risk for reading failure on the DIBELS assessment grew at the same rate as kindergarteners identified as low risk.

  • The median Kindergarten student at the launch site scored at the 92nd percentile on MAP testing.