Mission Statement

The mission of the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development is to promote literacy and address the diverse needs of all learners through professional development for all Kentucky educators and research that informs policy and practice.

Vision 

As a dynamic leader in literacy development, we envision a future in which CCLD:

  • Is a nationally renowned center dedicated to the promotion of literacy in Kentucky and beyond
  • Provides a national model for professional development, research, and statewide collaboration
  • Increases the literacy levels of learners in the state while fostering a culture that values literacy
  • Empowers educators to develop literacy expertise so that all learners achieve their full potential

Core Values

Collaboration: We are committed to shared knowledge, expertise, and effort with diverse partnerships dedicated to common goals.

Diversity: We value diversity of thought, culture, and experience and are committed to equity in serving the literacy needs of a diverse society.

Empowerment: We believe in the power of literacy and life-long learning to remove barriers and to transform people's lives.

Excellence: We value quality programs, rigorous research, and data-driven decision making.  

Integrity: We believe in honesty, openness, and accountability to ourselves and to our constituents.

Service: We are committed to listening to educators and to responding to their needs related to literacy instruction and practice.

Background

In 1998, the Kentucky General Assembly unanimously passed Senate Bill 186, which established the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development: Early Childhood through Adulthood (CCLD).  The CCLD is administered through the Council on Postsecondary Education and housed at the University of Kentucky College of Education.  The CCLD is a collaboration among the eight state universities and the National Center for Family Literacy.  Senate Bill 1, enacted in 2000, directed the CCLD to provide professional development for adult education instructors.  In the same year, House Bill 502 provided additional funding for the Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Training Program at the University of Kentucky.

Literacy is defined as "an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society."
—Workforce Investment Act of 1998

Purpose

CCLD is required to:

  • Conduct professional development and coaching for educators: early childhood through adulthood
  • Identify KRP Demonstration Sites
  • Assist districts located in areas with low reading skills
  • Develop a CCLD clearinghouse for research
  • Collaborate with public and private postsecondary institutions
  • Create a comprehensive research agenda.

CCLD is operated by the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the website, please contact us at mailto:keith.lyons@uky.edu.