Name of the Project

Families First: Texas Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative

Grantee Contact

Dr. Deborah Stedman

Dr. Paylos Roussos

Texas Education Agency

1701 North Congress Avenue

Austin TX 78701

Tel: 512-463-9294

Fax: 512-475-3661

E-mail: dstedman@tmail.tea.state.tx.us

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Coordinator

[to be determined]

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Project Goals

• To strengthen Texas family literacy services through the development and implementation of Indicators of Program Quality.
• To strengthen Texas family literacy through a capacity-building professional development plan for family literacy staff based upon the best available research on emerging literacy, language development, and reading instruction.
• To expand family literacy services through coordination and integration of resources of the programs represented on the Families First Consortium.

Project Description

The Families First Consortium has been active since 1996 when Texas received an Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative grant. It has a detailed plan for developing and implementing indicators of program quality. The consortium's professional development plan includes several components:

• Training for State-level staff
• Producing family literacy professional development guides and other materials
• Delivering professional development to local "teams" Statewide through a train-the-trainer model
• Establishing an internet-based Texas Family Literacy Clearinghouse
• Adopting and implementing the best available reading and literacy research in the professional development plan

Priorities Addressed

• Using research on reading and literacy in program planning
• Implementing a professional development plan for staff
• Increasing the intensity of family literacy activities for school-age children (up to 7 years old)
• Improving local evaluation methods and practices
• Absolute Priority: Family Literacy Performance Indicators