How Dalton Public Schools Built a Community-Wide Literacy Initiative to Strengthen Reading Achievement

Walk into a Dalton Public Schools literacy night, community festival, or even a Friday night football game, and you might spot something unexpected: a colorful van stocked with free books for children and families.

The library on wheels is part of Dalton Reads, a districtwide literacy initiative that reflects Dalton's belief that helping children become strong readers doesn't begin and end inside the classroom.

"We are just putting literacy at the forefront to make sure everyone is aware that this is what is important to us," said Ali Finley, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary and Literacy.

That commitment extends throughout the northwest Georgia district, where approximately 7,300 students attend ten schools in one of the nation's most diverse communities. Rather than responding to new state literacy requirements with only a curriculum adoption, Dalton Public Schools built an initiative that touched nearly every aspect of literacy instruction, from classroom teaching and professional learning to family engagement and community partnerships.

Today, Dalton Reads has become the framework guiding the district's literacy work through new high-quality instructional materials from Savvas Learning Company, robust professional learning, new literacy staff, and their Dalton Reads mobile library van. This framework is now helping teachers deliver more consistent instruction while creating new opportunities for students to build strong reading skills both inside and outside the classroom.

A Need for Change

Like many districts across the country, Dalton recognized that its literacy instruction needed to evolve.

For years, teachers relied on a balanced literacy framework and often pulled together resources from multiple places to build daily lessons. While educators worked hard to meet students' needs, district leaders recognized that instruction varied from classroom to classroom and wasn't fully aligned with emerging research around the science of reading.

At the same time, Georgia leaders were responding to statewide reading challenges through the Georgia Early Literacy Act and Georgia Reads initiative, requiring districts to adopt high-quality instructional materials grounded in evidence-based literacy instruction.

Rather than viewing the legislation as simply another requirement, Dalton saw it as an opportunity.

"We were already working on this and we were working on our plan," said Superintendent Dr. Steven Craft. "Then we were given support by our state legislative branches. They launched Georgia Reads, but we launched Dalton Reads. This was our initiative for how we were going to support literacy in our schools."

District leaders knew that purchasing a curriculum alone would not solve the problem.

"If we're going to fix literacy," Dr. Craft said, "this is what we need to do."

Building Dalton Reads

Dalton Reads became much more than the name of a literacy initiative. It became the umbrella for every decision the district made to improve literacy instruction.

District leaders first focused on selecting high-quality instructional materials that aligned with both Georgia's new standards and the science of reading.

Rather than making that decision centrally, Dalton assembled a committee of more than 50 educators, administrators, specialists, parents, and community members. Together, they evaluated multiple literacy programs using a district-developed review framework before selecting Savvas Learning Company’s myView Literacy for elementary grades and myPerspectives English Language Arts for grades 6–8.

"We really wanted the voice of every stakeholder to play a part," Finley said. "We wanted something that supported strong explicit instruction and could help strengthen our Tier 1 instruction."

That collaborative process built teacher ownership long before implementation began.

"I think that's how we got the ownership," said Tracey Wade, Literacy Coordinator. "Teachers were invested because they had a say in it."

But the curriculum was only one part of the initiative. Dalton also invested in:

• literacy interventionists at every elementary school
• instructional coaches
• a district literacy leadership team
• ongoing professional learning
• community literacy partnerships
• the Dalton Reads mobile library

"We went all in," Dr. Craft said.

Supporting Teachers Through Change

District leaders knew that implementing a new curriculum would require far more than a single training session.

Elementary teachers completed more than 20 hours of Georgia's science of reading professional learning modules. Rather than asking teachers to complete them independently, instructional coaches facilitated collaborative "Bridge to Practice" sessions where teachers discussed key takeaways and connected the learning directly to classroom instruction.

"We didn't want to just push those out and say, 'Do it on your own,'" Finley said. "We really wanted teachers to take ownership of the learning."

Dalton also partnered with Savvas consultants for sustained professional learning throughout implementation. By working with the same consultants over multiple years, teachers developed consistent relationships and received support tailored to the district's evolving needs.

Professional learning also extended beyond classroom teachers. Principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and support staff all participated in training so classroom observations, coaching conversations, and district expectations remained aligned.

"We wanted everybody hearing the same message at the same time," Finley said.

For classroom teacher Nicole Gillispie, that support made a significant difference.

"I love the way our district did it," she said. "They didn't say, 'Let's just get a new reading program and drop it on everybody.' They said, 'Let's all look at this together and then we're going to continue to support you throughout this process.'"

Taking Literacy Beyond the Classroom

One of the most visible parts of Dalton Reads doesn't happen inside a school building. Using grant funding and community support, the district transformed a retired maintenance van into a mobile library.

The Dalton Reads van now travels throughout the community, distributing books at literacy nights, football games, festivals, and neighborhood events.

The goal is simple: put more books into children's hands while helping families become partners in literacy.

"We're really trying to partner with schools and families around literacy," Finley said.

The district recently expanded the initiative even further by adding Wi-Fi to the vehicle, creating opportunities to bring literacy resources directly into neighborhoods where transportation or internet access may otherwise be barriers.

Community organizations have also joined the effort by donating books, sponsoring events, and helping spread awareness about literacy across Dalton.

"It's not just teachers who are responsible," Finley said. "It's all stakeholders."

Early Results Show Encouraging Progress

Although district leaders know meaningful literacy improvement takes time, they're already seeing encouraging signs.

Teachers report richer classroom discussions, stronger use of academic vocabulary, and students confidently engaging with increasingly complex texts.

"I think what we hear from teachers mostly is the student discourse," Finley said. "We're hearing conversations that we might not have heard in previous years."

Nicole has noticed similar changes in her classroom.

"They're becoming better decoders and better encoders," she said. "They have strategies now. They're not overwhelmed trying to memorize thousands of words. They're building confidence as readers."

District assessment results have also provided encouraging news. Despite the significant instructional shifts, Dalton avoided the implementation dip many districts experience after major curriculum changes.

"Our last testing cycle showed we improved in 18 of 24 measures," Dr. Craft said. "We avoided the dip, and now we're ready to go."

For district leaders, however, the most meaningful outcome goes beyond test scores.

"What really matters to me," Dr. Craft said, "is that our kids are learning. Our kids are reading on grade level. We're making progress."