The district literacy program, implemented in 1998-99 in response to Colorado’s Basic Literacy Act, is designed to support student achievement in reading. Specially trained reading teachers are staffed at all elementary and middle schools to support literacy instruction. These teachers, called literacy resource teachers (LRTs), work with classroom teachers to coach, consult, plan, and teach so students receive high quality instruction based on individual needs. Students who are reading below grade level have an individual learning plan that outlines learning goals and strategies and documents progress. Literacy instruction for students may include identifying and teaching to individual student needs, setting aside a block of time each day for literacy instruction, using a similar instructional approach throughout the school, providing extra time for ongoing practice and tutoring, and encouraging parent support. Federal funding to reduce elementary class size is used to lower the student-teacher ratio for literacy instruction.

The literacy teachers at Whitman Elementary School are Lynn Adams and Kathleen Packer.