Books line a shelf in a kindergarten classroom at Mayo Demonstration School in Tulsa on April 8. Oklahoma will receive $11.2 million this year from a federal grant for child literacy initiatives. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma will receive millions of dollars in federal support for student literacy programs and teacher training, state and federal education officials announced Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Education will provide Oklahoma with $11.2 million this school year for literacy improvement efforts, the federal agency said. Oklahoma is one of 23 states chosen for the grant this year.
The grant will award a total of nearly $59 million over the next five years, according to a news release from the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters said his administration will give $9 million of the first allocation to school districts through a competitive sub-grant process. Walters’ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question accounting for the remaining $2.2 million.