Forward for Bold and Brave Solutions

Literacy

Someone writing at a whiteboard, someone else writing on paper

Combining research methods and practice in education, speech pathology, library sciences and family engagement, UMD is addressing literacy as essential to learning and to making our society more just.

Maryland is the nation’s fifth-most educated state and among its wealthiest, but despite this 67% of its fourth-graders are not reading at a proficient level. UMD’s Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity (MILE), working with Morgan State University, is leading the charge to elevate reading competencies. Grounded in productive research-to-practice partnerships, MILE brings together experts to conduct vital research rooted in real communities. Through innovative professional development and new outreach models, the university is transforming the way schools, clinicians, libraries and families come together to help children build a skill that’s necessary for their success.

Philanthropic support will allow UMD to continue playing a crucial role in ensuring that as Maryland children learn to read, educators are primed to help them take the next big step—reading to learn.

A stack of books caught in the shadowing of a prison bars in front a window, in front of an orange background.