Hanover Research Validates Learning Ally's Literacy Program Impact

The research, which surveyed over 230 educators, highlights a major transition in pedagogical habits. Before the intervention, fewer than 12% of participants provided daily explicit instruction in core literacy areas. Following the program, 83% of educators reported delivering daily or multi-weekly instruction in reading comprehension, while 77% achieved similar benchmarks in fluency and 76% in vocabulary. These shifts correlate with improved student outcomes, as 93% of teachers noted positive effects on phonics and comprehension, and 84% observed increased confidence among students.

The program’s reach extended to over 8,500 students, with a particularly strong impact on equity-focused instruction. Teachers reporting extreme effectiveness for multilingual learners and special education students rose from 19% and 22% to 59%. Brent Hartsell, Senior Director of Professional Learning at Learning Ally, credited the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for enabling the move away from fragmented training. For administrators like Fairfield Public Schools’ Catherine Prall, the funding provided a rare opportunity to unify literacy training across entire teaching staffs despite constrained budgets.