In a recent update, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Superintendent Denise Saddler outlined ongoing efforts to improve early literacy and ensure all students become strong readers by the third grade. Saddler emphasized the district’s commitment to literacy as a core priority, calling it “a social justice issue, a moral imperative,” and reaffirmed that “each and every student in Oakland deserves to be literate.”
Saddler highlighted the district’s 2021 Strategic Plan, which set out to accelerate citywide efforts to guarantee literacy for all third graders. She noted that “we continue investing in early literacy across the district today.” The district recently hosted a quarterly Literacy Community Convening with over 100 attendees, including community partners, to share progress and gather feedback on their literacy initiatives.
Professional development remains central to OUSD’s approach. All K-5 teachers receive training in instructional skills for teaching literacy, and the district has adopted the updated EL Education curriculum for K-5 English Only programs. This curriculum includes Unlock ELD, a component developed in collaboration with EL Education and OUSD staff, designed to support English Language Learners.
Dual language teachers have also participated in sessions focused on biliteracy instruction, engaging with resources such as Benchmark Foundational Skills for Spanish and SIPPS for English. These efforts aim to strengthen foundational skills for all students.
Collaboration with local organizations is another aspect of OUSD’s strategy. Third grade teachers from several elementary schools worked with Things That Creep to enhance science modules on amphibians, while fourth grade teachers participated in poetry workshops at Chapter 510 & and Department of Make / Believe.
The district’s Literacy Liberators have engaged in professional learning sessions and ongoing monthly communities focused on evidence-based literacy instruction. OUSD has centrally funded Early Literacy tutors for nine years, with 120 tutors supporting differentiated instruction this school year. Many tutors are parents or former students, reflecting the community’s involvement.
A significant curricular change occurred in spring 2025 when the Board of Education adopted University of Florida Literary Institute (UFLI) Foundations as the tier 1 foundational skills curriculum for English instruction in grades K-2. Over 500 teachers and leaders have been trained on UFLI, which is now being implemented district-wide.
One-to-one tutoring is being expanded to all 50 elementary schools through a partnership with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. After piloting this effort with third-party evaluation over two years, the district now offers tailored literacy intervention at each school. Students identified as needing extra support through screening tools like i-Ready and DIBELS/Lectura receive tutoring from OpenLiteracy or Ignite, alongside small-group instruction from Early Literacy Tutors. Tutors participate in ongoing professional learning and coaching.
OUSD will also host its third annual LitFest this spring, building on previous years that saw growing participation from students and families across the district. The event showcases student writing, provides free books donated by the Oakland Literacy Coalition, and features activities led by district staff and partners such as the Oakland Public Library.
Saddler concluded her message by encouraging continued engagement with these initiatives: “Together, we are making great strides.”
