The project is funded through a Striving Readers grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs.

Louisiana was one of eight states to be awarded a 4-year Striving Readers grant from the U.S. Department of Education on October 1, 2009. SEDL, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education, will conduct a 4-year randomized controlled trial study of the Voyager Passport Reading Journeys curriculum for struggling adolescent readers.

The Striving Readers program aims to improve the literacy skills of middle school- and high school-aged students who are reading 2 or more years below grade level and to help build a strong, scientific research base around specific strategies that improve adolescent literacy skills. With a grant of more than $5 million, Louisiana will implement a middle school supplemental reading program, Passport Reading Journeys, developed by Voyager Expanded Learning, Inc. To date, 134 districts and 435 schools have adopted the Passport Reading Journeys curriculum across 35 states.