Drexel Launches ALLIED Hub to Address the Nation’s Literacy Crisis

With the help of a $3.3 million grant, the Advocacy, Leadership, Learning, Implementation, Educational Policy and Data (ALLIED) Hub will help bring together research, practice, leadership, policy and community around improving literacy outcomes.

Drexel University will formally launch the  Advocacy, Leadership, Learning, Implementation, Educational Policy and Data (ALLIED) Hub on Thursday, Oct. 15. The first of three events is a Launch Reception at Loch Aerie Mansion with literacy experts, education leaders, community partners, supporters and Drexel leadership. Ameer Baraka, an actor, author and dyslexia advocate, will serve as the keynote speaker. The reception will recognize and celebrate the people and organizations helping support the ALLIED Hub’s mission.

The second event on Friday, Oct. 16 will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3401 Market Street (third floor) on Drexel’s University City campus at 2 p.m. The ceremony will mark the launch of the new literacy initiative and its physical space on campus, supported by significant investments and collaboration from a broad network of supporters, national literacy experts and community partners. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education notified Drexel that its School of Education in the Colege of Arts and Sciences had been awarded a $3.3 million Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Grant. The event will celebrate the official launch of the Hub, its mission and the work that will take place there.

The new home of the ALLIED Hub is intended to be an active literacy learning, research, and collaboration space. It will be used for activities such as literacy tutoring and instruction, professional learning, meetings and working sessions with educators and partners, research and data-related activities, development of literacy resources and other collaborative programming. Other Hub activities will happen virtually, in schools and communities, and through other partnerships around the region.

Presenters at the Friday event will include Drexel President Antonio Merlo, PhD, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, College of Arts and Sciences Dean David S. Brown, PhD, Barbara Wilson, co-founder of Wilson Language Training® and Lori Severino, executive director of the ALLIED Hub.

“The SEED grant supports research on our Doctor of Education (EdD) concentration and Post-Master’s Certificate in Leadership in Literacy Science and Systems Change,” said Severino. “Alongside that research, the ALLIED Hub is building expert-curated resources to help educational leaders put their learning into practice in their own schools and districts. This reflects Drexel’s commitment to experiential learning: participants will apply what they learn within their own systems, addressing real challenges and using data to guide improvement. Effective implementation is essential—evidence-based practices must be supported and sustained for districts to achieve the literacy outcomes they expect.”

The new concentration will be offered as part of Drexel’s award-winning EdD in Educational Leadership and Management, providing a doctoral degree pathway for students pursuing the concentration. A separate, standalone post-master’s certificate will also be offered for professionals seeking the specialized coursework without pursuing the EdD. The EdD concentration is expected to welcome its first cohort in Fall 2027, with the post-master’s certificate launching in Spring 2028.
​

“Translating reading science into effective literacy instruction for all students is essential to our nation’s educational success and public health,” said Reid Lyon, PhD, neuroscientist, former director of the reading research program at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and senior advisor to Drexel’s ALLIED Hub. “Drexel’s SEED grant underscores the importance of developing a shared foundation of professional knowledge and a common language grounded in scientific evidence. Together, these enable education leaders, teachers, researchers and policymakers to collaborate with clarity and purpose—aligning educator preparation, classroom instruction and policy around what helps students learn to read. Through the ALLIED Hub, Drexel can strengthen these connections and help ensure that advances in reading science translate into lasting improvements in practice and student outcomes.”

Launch activities will culminate on Saturday, Oct. 17, with the School of Education’s Science of Reading Day Summit, sponsored by the ALLIED Hub and other partners. The summit will run from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Gerri C. LeBow Hall (3220 Market Street). It will bring together educators, families, reading specialists, school psychologists, coaches and literacy advocates for professional learning, collaboration and connection. The event will connect research and evidence with real-world practice through expert perspectives and educator-led conversations aimed at improving literacy outcomes for children. Lyon will serve as the Keynote Speaker.

The formation of the Hub was announced in November 2025 after Drexel received a $1.4 million grant to address the nation’s literacy crisis. The ALLIED Hub’s stated mission is “to ensure that every child has the opportunity to unlock the power of literacy.”

For more information, please visit the ALLIED Hub’s website.