This report summarizes evaluation findings from the first year (2024-25) of the School District of Philadelphia’s Districtwide implementation of the new K-8 English Language Arts curriculum, EL Education.

The overarching research questions guiding the Year 1 report were:

Do teachers, teacher leaders,  principals, and Central Office support staff believe they have what they need to implement EL Education with integrity? If not, what do participants say were barriers and facilitators to implementing EL Education with integrity?

Using data from surveys and focus groups with principals, school-based teacher leaders (SBTLs), academic coaches, and K-8 ELA teachers, the evaluation identified facilitators and barriers to implementation within SDP’s context in the first year of implementation.

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

Our forthcoming Year 2 (2025-26) report will evaluate perceptions about whether teachers and school leaders were implementing EL Education with integrity/fidelity (as intended).