About Us

Cornerstone Literacy, Inc. (CLI) is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in New York City. Building on the 10-year history of the Cornerstone Initiative of the New York Institute for Special Education, CLI strives to improve literacy outcomes in high-poverty elementary schools by developing teacher, school, and district capacity for sustained self-improvement.

Our approach ensures depth and focus on what matters most for children’s learning, assumes high levels of intellectual development for all children, is designed to accommodate state and national standards, and helps teachers focus on the content most crucial to their students’ literacy learning. More