District Literacy Leads Support
Expert literacy leadership. Statewide alignment. Local impact.
CAREI partners with school districts and charter schools to support the work of District Literacy Leads as defined by Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 120B.123, subdivision 6, of the Minnesota READ Act. Through this contracted role, CAREI provides an expert to guide your team in implementing the Minnesota READ Act with fidelity, clarity, and impact.
As your trusted partner, our literacy specialists bring deep expertise in structured literacy, coaching, and adult learning. We ensure coherence, consistency, and actionable support that bridges your local work with statewide literacy efforts—helping your educators and students thrive.
How CAREI can boost capacity of your District Literacy Lead
- Collaborates with your District Literacy Lead and leadership team to implement the Minnesota READ Act
- Supports the development and continuous improvement of the local literacy plan
- Helps build systems for sustainable, district-wide literacy improvement
- Provides professional development on structured literacy, evidence-based practices, intervention, dyslexia, and screening
- Builds capacity of district teams and literacy coaches to sustain effective practices
- Supports local literacy coaching efforts through modeling, co-planning, and reflective practices
- Supports data collection and analysis, aligning with your district’s Minnesota multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework, to effectively inform instruction to support student growth and achievement across all tiers
- Assists district-linked teams in making instructional decisions using screening and progress monitoring data
- Supports the use of universal and dyslexia screening tools and identification of students with characteristics of dyslexia
- Guides implementation of evidence-based literacy practices and effective instructional materials across all tiers
- Supports curriculum evaluation, selection, and alignment to Minnesota ELA standards
- Offers expert insight into interventions and intensifying instruction
Why CAREI?
CAREI’s literacy specialists combine deep expertise in literacy, coaching, and implementation science with a strong commitment to educational equity. Our team uses a collaborative, research-based approach rooted in evidence and tailored to your district’s unique needs. We’re here to help you build local capacity, align practices with state requirements, and most importantly—improve outcomes for all learners.
Whether you're a single district or working in partnership with others, CAREI can provide support to your District Literacy Lead tailored to your unique context. Join us in building a future where all Minnesota students become confident, capable readers.
Your CAREI Literacy lead specialist
Mariah Mercil Mariah Mercil
- Assistant Director of Literacy
- 612-626-0409
- mjmercil@umn.edu
Mariah Mercil is the Literacy Implementation Lead for the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota.
CAREI offers the following for literacy training, curriculum, and intervention
CAREIALL - Training
A comprehensive professional development course designed to support educators in operationalizing structured literacy in their classrooms.
Functional Phonics+Morphology - Tier 1 Curriculum
A comprehensive, evidence-based phonics curriculum which follows a logical progression of phonics based skills from simple to complex for building reading and spelling skills.
PRESS: Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites - Tier 2 Intervention
Developed by the Minnesota Center for Reading Research at the University of Minnesota, PRESS is a framework for literacy achievement in grades K-5 within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) or response to intervention (RTI) context.