Featured Initiatives
Language as a Missing Link Toolkit
Language development dramatically and positively impacts life outcomes–but too often it’s overlooked. Conversely, the failure to develop a capacity for effective communication jeopardizes emotional well-being and educational attainment.
The Language as a Missing Link toolkit is designed for individuals, practitioners, and policymakers to integrate and sustain a proactive approach that employs language as a well-being indicator that is foundational for educational, mental health, and well-being outcomes.
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” Alexander Den Heijer
Annual Governor’s Summit
The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy was proud to host the 2024 Annual Governor’s Summit on Early Language and Literacy on July 17th-18th. Each year, the Deal Center hosts the Summit to showcase current research, practice, and policy related to early language and literacy development from birth through age eight for the state of Georgia.
HB538 Study
The Deal Center partnered with the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Council on Literacy, and Georgia Department of Education to create a district inventory to assess progress toward implementation of the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB 538). This report provides baseline information on district implementation of HB 538 to inform statewide literacy initiatives and resource allocation.
The Deal Center conducted an independent review of universal reading screeners that were approved by the Georgia State Board of Education in July of 2023. The Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB538) requires school districts to select a screener from the approved list by August 1, 2024 to monitor progress, measure foundational reading skills, and identify struggling students. The screeners assess both foundational literacy skills and characteristics of dyslexia. The report provides analysis of screener psychometrics, literacy components, and relative rankings.