Literacy Learning That Lasts: How To Sustain Science of Reading Success Beyond LETRS

Making a schoolwide culture shift takes time and persistence. Teacher turnover, knowledge loss throughout time, and the risk of educators reverting to familiar, less effective instructional routines all pose significant challenges to the sustainability of school science of reading initiatives.

As any administrator knows, offering professional learning or implementing a new literacy curriculum marks only the first phase of systemic change. The real test lies in maintaining that progress year after year, after the early excitement fades.

Providing teachers with ample opportunities to learn, practice, implement, and reflect on new strategies is what will continue to drive meaningful change. Those sustained professional learning opportunities can help maintain that momentum long after teachers complete Lexia® LETRS® Professional Learning.

The Case for Ongoing Literacy Professional Learning

LETRS is widely regarded as the gold standard in professional learning for literacy, with a proven impact on student outcomes. More than 625,000 educators have used LETRS to support more than 6 million students in 37 states.

But without continuous learning opportunities and support after LETRS, science of reading momentum can stall. 

Your teachers need ongoing practice opportunities and the right resources to continue implementing science of reading-aligned instruction with confidence and fidelity.

The solution is simple: Keep learning. A sustainable professional learning solution offers the repetition, feedback, and collaboration educators are asking for. 

—Christa Perry, Troup County School District

What does it take to achieve professional learning sustainability beyond LETRS? A framework that builds upon educators’ current LETRS knowledge should continue to deepen teacher expertise and empower teachers to transform their literacy instruction for lasting impact year after year.

Here are some key features to look for in an effective long-term professional learning solution:

• Access to cutting-edge research. Ongoing professional learning gives educators timely insights into the latest literacy and cognitive science research. Research may include new findings about reading development, language acquisition, and effective instructional practices for diverse learners. With access to digestible, actionable research that reinforces and expands their existing LETRS knowledge, teachers can stay current with scientific evidence that explains how students learn to read.

• Resources that evolve with practice. Professional learning doesn’t end when teachers finish their LETRS courses. As their knowledge and instructional practice evolves, they should have access to professional learning resources they can revisit, adapt, and apply in new ways to reflect student needs. These could include interactive sessions, resources for professional learning communities (PLCs), and classroom activities. Long-term learning should encompass both foundational tools (similar to initial LETRS trainings) and updated research, instructional models, and videos that reflect current best practices.

• Coaching and mentorship. Job-embedded support can help sustain professional learning. By providing teachers with access to instructional coaches who offer personalized guidance and feedback, you can help them refine their literacy routines or adapt lessons to meet the specific needs of individual students. Ongoing access to mentors, both in-person and via a learning platform, strengthens teacher practice over time.

• Peer collaboration and communities of practice. When teachers have an opportunity to collaborate regularly, their professional learning becomes a shared journey rather than an isolated effort. Your Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and communities of practice already provide a structure for teachers to analyze student data, exchange ideas, and model instructional approaches. These peer-based systems can continue to support a literacy culture that encourages questions, feedback, and adaptation.

• Opportunities for reflection and feedback. Professional learning endures when teachers have the space to pause, process, and reflect upon their progress. Journaling, self-assessments, and peer feedback all provide structured opportunities that reveal effective instructional gaps.

• Alignment with evidence-based practices. Long-term professional learning helps reinforce evidence-based practices supported by science of reading research. Providing teachers with continued access to resources that model evidence-based strategies and practices enables educators to remain aligned with your science of reading initiative and build instructional consistency.

With aligned professional development that builds on the success you’ve already made, you can maintain your science of reading trajectory with greater ease.

The Research and Your ROI

Sustained, job-embedded professional learning requires an ongoing investment in time and money, but research shows it pays off. A recent meta-analysis that looked at studies including more than 2,000 teachers and 21,000 students found: 

• Teachers who participated in job-embedded professional development demonstrated higher performance in areas such as teacher efficacy, content and instructional knowledge, behavior management, and the use of evidence-based instructional practices. 

• Students of teachers who participated in job-embedded professional development showed higher achievement than students of teachers who did not participate, highlighting the significant impact that sustained professional learning has on student outcomes.

Specifically related to reading, a study examining published and unpublished research collected between 1975 and 2017 found that teacher professional learning has a moderate and significant positive average effect on reading achievement. 

Improve Teacher Retention Rates

Teachers who feel their school leaders support them are more likely to report high morale and remain in their positions. A commitment to professional learning signals to teachers that your school champions a culture that supports teacher growth. District leaders who prioritize sustained professional learning as a retention strategy reported smoother hiring and stronger retention rates, according to a 2025 Frontline Education report. Specifically, 84% of superintendents who prioritized programs that included coaching or mentoring and 64% who prioritized online self-paced courses reported higher-than-average teacher retention rates.

With sustained professional learning programs that build off of LETRS, your teachers can retain more of what they’ve learned and confidently apply their knowledge in the classroom, year after year, leading to consistent instructional practices and better outcomes for teachers and students.

Studies indicate that effective professional development is most impactful when it is sustained over time, providing teachers with ample opportunities to learn, practice, implement, and reflect on new strategies that drive meaningful change in their practice.

—Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M.E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/teacher-prof-dev.1

Continuing the Impact of LETRS 

Adding more one-off professional development days or another new curriculum won’t necessarily accelerate your school’s reading outcomes and could conflict with what your teachers have already learned in LETRS. The real value of sustained professional learning lies in building on your progress. 

Your sustainable learning solution should seamlessly support your teachers on their literacy journey through their PLCs, mentoring, and coaching. Ideally, you’d offer access to digital platforms like the Lexia Community Center, with opportunities to connect with other educators. Teachers would also benefit from continued access to LETRS course content and resources like modeling videos, along with opportunities to gauge their progress and understanding of science of reading-based instructional practices.

You’ve already made a significant investment in your teachers and have the structures in place to keep LETRS momentum going. By continuing conversations sparked by LETRS, you can implement a sustainable model that amplifies the impact of every professional development dollar spent. 

“… I want to continue to improve my learning and understanding, so having a way to refresh skills, continue learning, etc. would be nice. I know my ‘license’ to [LETRS] expires in October, but having access to the resources forever would be beneficial.”

--LETRS participant

Lead the Literacy Movement, Sustain the Change

Building an effective, successful science of reading implementation requires four stages: a solid foundation, a framework for implementation, a strategy for incorporating refinements, and a sustainability plan. Each of these stages helps you design and maintain an effective literacy program for all of your students.

Sustaining professional learning is one of the smartest leadership decisions you can make. It helps your teachers grow professionally and keeps your instruction aligned with proven practices that help all students learn how to read. When you champion sustainable professional learning, you send a powerful message: Our teachers matter. Our students matter. And our commitment to literacy isn’t temporary—it’s ongoing.

Keep your positive momentum going—for your teachers, your students, and the future of literacy in your school. See what’s coming next in the LETRS Suite.