BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Education, in partnership with LSU, is one of seven states awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The state will receive nearly $6.1 million over five years.

This year's State Personnel Development Grant provides professional development to educators with a focus on improving literacy.

The program provides money to help Louisiana improve preparation programs and professional development for teachers of students with disabilities.

The grant will focus on English language instruction in grades three through five, to identify and address the needs of struggling readers who are making the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.