A nonprofit has invested nearly $2 million in an initiative that aims to improve third-grade reading proficiency in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where more than one in three students read below grade level and Florida students have experienced the nation's steepest declines in reading achievement since 2022.
The Partnership for Miami invested the funds in The Lucy Project, a structured literacy program operating in four district elementary schools, according to a Tuesday Miami Today report. The initiative trains early-grade teachers in evidence-based phonics instruction and provides students with daily small-group lessons tailored to their reading level.
The investment comes as findings from the Education Recovery Scorecard, led by researchers at Harvard University and Stanford University, show Florida students experienced the nation's largest declines in reading achievement between 2022 and 2025.
Mike Hernández, vice president for communications at the Partnership for Miami, said the organization hopes to expand the program.
"We believe every child should be reading at grade level by third grade and hope to expand this proven approach to more schools," Hernández said.
Reading gaps persist across racial and economic groups
Districtwide, reading proficiency on Florida's third-grade English Language Arts assessment reached 65% during the 2025-26 school year. The averages, however, mask significant disparities.
About 80% of white non-Hispanic students scored at Level 3 or higher, compared with 65% of Hispanic students and 56% of Black students. Economically disadvantaged students also lagged behind their peers, 60% to 69%.
The Partnership for Miami describes third grade as the point when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn. The organization identified housing instability, food insecurity, language barriers and limited access to explicit phonics instruction as key obstacles to reading success.
Initiative comes as district faces financial and enrollment pressures
The literacy initiative arrives as Miami-Dade County Public Schools navigates declining enrollment and tightening finances. The district's budget for the current school year is $7.4 billion, about $100 million less than the previous year, according to WLRN, reflecting enrollment declines and reductions in state funding.
The district opened the 2025-26 school year with 313,220 students, down roughly 13,000 from the previous year, according to USA Today. Officials have been weighing whether to close or repurpose nine schools before the start of the 2026-27 school year.
The district's superintendent search also continues. The Partnership for Miami said the next superintendent and School Board will face decisions about how to align resources, including whether to consolidate underenrolled schools and redirect funding toward classroom instruction and teacher support.
What families should watch
Key Biscayne K-8 Center, which serves about 890 students under Principal Evie Mayor, and George Washington Carver Middle School both feed into MAST Academy on Virginia Key. Families at those schools can follow School Board meetings and future expansion plans for The Lucy Project through Miami-Dade County Public Schools at dadeschools.net.
