Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Educator Training (LCRSET) Grant Program

The Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Educator Training (LCRSET) Grant Program is administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) to support the development and delivery of training for educators in literacy coaching and reading/literacy specialist credentialing. This initiative is authorized under Assembly Bill 121, Section 51 (Chapter 8, Statutes of 2025), which builds upon earlier cohorts of literacy initiatives authorized under prior legislation. The 2026 competition provides $15 million in state funds to a single County Office of Education (COE) or a consortium of COEs demonstrating robust expertise in literacy instruction and multilingual education, particularly for English Learners (ELs) and other high-need student populations. The purpose of this grant is to align with and amplify the state's comprehensive literacy efforts by preparing educators to become literacy coaches, dual language literacy coaches, and reading and literacy specialists. The selected grantee must align its activities with key state literacy frameworks and roadmaps, including the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework, the English Learner Roadmap, and the California Literacy Roadmap. Emphasis is placed on providing training that is evidence-based, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities, pupils with dyslexia, early learners, and multilingual students. Priority is given to applicants demonstrating a track record of success in literacy instruction improvement, especially through dual language immersion and similar programs. The grantee will be responsible for designing and disseminating high-quality professional learning opportunities for educators across California. This includes creating communities of practice, facilitating virtual and in-person learning events, and providing credential pathways such as the Reading and Literacy Added Authorization, Bilingual Authorization, or Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential. Educators from LEAs funded through the LCRS grant allocation are the primary participants, although opportunities may be extended to a broader audience based on capacity. The grantee will be required to collaborate closely with professional development organizations like the California Reading and Literature Project (CRLP) and California Writing Project (CWP), and potentially institutions of higher education (IHEs) with proven experience in statewide literacy support. Applicants are expected to submit comprehensive proposals demonstrating alignment with preparation program standards established by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. They must detail their approach to developing educator competencies in areas such as literacy instruction, culturally sustaining pedagogy, data-driven interventions, and family literacy engagement. All professional learning must follow a continuous improvement cycle supported by student performance data and focused on sustainable practices that extend beyond the grant period. The grant application is due by February 23, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The selected grantee will be announced by May 18, 2026, with the project period beginning in June 2026 and concluding on June 30, 2029. The funding will be delivered in advance, and the grantee must comply with stringent reporting and evaluation requirements. This includes quarterly expenditure and progress reports, annual outcome reports, and participation in an independent evaluation conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The grant requires close coordination with previous LCRS cohorts to ensure programmatic coherence statewide. By fostering collaboration across educational agencies and promoting rigorous, equity-driven literacy training, the LCRSET program aims to build long-term educator capacity and improve literacy outcomes for California’s most vulnerable student groups. The work of the grantee is expected to complement existing state and federal literacy initiatives while developing scalable, open-access training materials and resources for statewide use.

Align work with state frameworks and prior LCRS cohorts. Partner with experienced IHEs where possible.