Planning Ahead with STARI

As the school year winds down, planning for the next one is already underway—and we’re here to support you every step of the way. This issue of the STARI newsletter is all about helping you look ahead with confidence.

Thinking about bringing STARI to your classroom next year? We’ve gathered insights from experienced STARI educators and coaches to help you get started. From what to expect, to how to set yourself up for success, and what you can do right now to prepare—this issue is packed with practical tips.

What to Consider When Getting Started with STARI

Insights from Patrice Razor

Jackson Public Schools, MS

The first step is to clearly identify the student population you'll serve. For us, that meant using end-of-year assessment data to determine which students who would benefit most from STARI.

Equally important was identifying the right teachers—those who were invested in student growth and open to embracing something new.

Before the school year began, we held a Teacher Institute in July with support from our coaches and SERP staff. We wanted teachers to experience the program hands-on, understand the materials, and get the training they needed to feel confident.

We also built in monthly PLCs to provide ongoing support and capacity-building throughout the year.

In terms of scheduling, we found multiple ways to make it work:

• As a learning strategies course for Tier 2 intervention
• As a compensatory reading course alongside regular ELA
• As a pull-out model during a 100-minute elective block



Every school’s context is different, but once we had these systems in place, STARI ran like a well-oiled machine.

Ready to hit the ground running next school year? Join our live virtual STARI training this summer!

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with educators in NYC to deliver interactive, hands-on sessions that prepare teachers to launch STARI with confidence—and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Now, we’re opening up these sessions to educators across the country.

Interested? Help us find a time that works for you by filling out our short interest survey.

We’ll use your input to schedule sessions that fit your summer plans!

STARI Support Station

Have a challenge in your STARI classroom? The STARI Support Station is here to help answer real questions from you and share practical tips to help you make the most of STARI. Share your questions. 

If you prefer a more immediate conversation, RSVP to join the next STARI Community Forum on May 1st at 10:30am ET/7:30am PT. 

This month in STARI Support Station, we’re tackling your questions about how to talk with colleagues and build support for bringing STARI to your students.

Here are the recurrent questions we are hearing from the field:

Challenge 1:

Is there evidence that STARI works?

“We want to invest in programs with strong, proven outcomes.”

Ways to respond:

• Highlight that STARI meets ESSA Tier 1 evidence standards — the highest level of evidence under federal guidelines. Learn what ESSA Tiers of Evidence mean and why it matters.
• Point to real-world outcomes: improved reading comprehension, engagement with complex texts, and gains for English learners and struggling readers.
• If possible, share testimonials from other schools or data from similar student populations.
  

Challenge 2:

Do our teachers have time to learn a new program?

“We’re already asking a lot of our staff.”

Ways to respond:

• Emphasize that STARI is supported by robust training—it’s not “hand off the materials and go.”
• Point out that STARI has lots of routines and structures in place, so once teachers are trained, it’s very manageable - even for those without a literacy background.
• Highlight that it’s designed to build teacher capacity, not burden them.

Challenge 3:

How will we fit this into our schedule?

“We can’t add another thing to the day.”

Ways to respond:

• Share examples of flexible scheduling models (pull-out, integrated reading support, enrichment periods).
• Emphasize that STARI is a Tier 2 intervention, not an extra or elective—it’s core to helping students who are behind.
• Offer to pilot the program with a small group to demonstrate impact before scaling.
  

Have You Got Game?

We know Game by Walter Dean Myers is a fan favorite—and a powerful anchor text in the STARI curriculum. But if you're having trouble locating copies, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org and we’ll help you track them down.

And don’t forget: you can order individual books, full curriculum sets, or book + curriculum bundles. 

STARI Presenting at LEARN Network’s Next Virtual Workshop

Thursday, May 1st | 3:00pm-4:00pm ET

We’re excited to share that STARI will be presenting as part of an upcoming session of the LEARN to Scale workshop series, hosted by the LEARN Network—a national initiative funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to promote learning growth through evidenced-based tools.

Join us for a conversation on how to scale evidenced-based programs like STARI to support literacy growth nationwide.

Reminder: Recruiting for our STARI Study

If you teach in CA, IL, MD, NV or WI you can get STARI materials and PD for FREE by participating in our STARI Expansion Study. 

Learn More

Visit our study website

We're Hiring!

School Support Specialist, Los Angeles, CA

What We've Been Reading...

The Story Behind Student Declines Board member Carey Wright weighs in on why student performance has been falling since 2013—and why the pandemic is only part of the story. New York Times

What Happens When Schools Ban Phones? From knitting to fishing, one district explores surprising alternatives to screen time with a bold phone-free policy. The Hechinger Report

The Top Skills Employers Want in the AI Age Forget coding—employers are prioritizing communication, problem-solving, and collaboration in a tech-driven world. Education Week

Sleep Training for Teens Experts are sounding the alarm on sleep deprivation and sharing strategies to help teens reclaim rest in a social media-heavy world. Associated Press

Supreme Court Considers Opt-Out Case A closely watched case could determine whether parents have the right to opt their children out of lessons involving LGBTQ themes in public schools. The 74

Thank you for your commitment to supporting adolescent readers!

If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@serpinstitute.org.

- The STARI Team at SERP