As part of a strategic plan to accelerate academic achievement, in 2024-25 the School District of Philadelphia adopted EL Education for grades K-8, a standards-aligned core instructional resources for English Language Arts with a focus on the Science of Reading.

In Year 1 of EL Education implementation, the Office of Research and Evaluation conducted focus groups to answer the question: Do teachers, school leaders, and central office support staff believe they have enough materials, training, and support to implement the new ELA curricula with integrity/fidelity (as intended)?

During the focus group sessions, over 100 teachers, teacher leaders, school leaders, and central office staff discussed 1) their feelings about EL Education lessons, materials, and resources and 2) their perceptions of the support and training they received, including their experiences with Professional Learning Cycles and their preparedness to support diverse learners.

These focus group findings and recommendations have been reviewed in close collaboration with the Curriculum Implementation Team, and the insights gathered have provided a critical foundation for improving implementation in Year 2.

A similar findings deck about StudySync implementation in grades 9-12 is forthcoming.

In Year 2 (2025-26) we plan to evaluate perceptions about whether teachers and school leaders are implementing EL Education and StudySync with integrity/fidelity (as intended).