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Unveiling Policies for Transformative Literacy Impact with Words Alive

Last Updated: 04/02/2026

Case Organization

Words Alive

https://www.wordsalive.org

770 Park Blvd

11-50

Case Contributors

Case Disciplines

Community Organization and Social Action Political Organization, Policy Change, and Advocacy

Skills & Expertise

Accessibility Planning Advocacy Strategy Change Management Collaboration Strategy Community Partnership Development Content Curation Data Privacy & Security Planning Demographic & Geographic Targeting Education Policy Research Executive Reporting Growth Strategy Impact Measurement Information Architecture Knowledge Management KPI Development Legislative & Regulatory Landscape Analysis Literacy Policy Research Policy Analysis Policy Communication Policy Monitoring Program Expansion Planning Research Synthesis Staff Training & Enablement Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder Mapping Strategic Planning Thought Leadership Development Tool/Platform Requirements Design User Experience (UX) Design Workflow Integration

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Background & Objective

The challenge or opportunity you are trying to address for the organization.

Founded in 1999 by Leslye Lyons, a passionate social worker and avid reader, Words Alive stands as a beacon of transformative literacy in the San Diego region. Our mission is rooted in the belief that fostering a love for reading equips individuals to thrive as lifelong learners and active contributors to their communities. With a rich history of impactful programs, such as the Adolescent Book Group (ABG) for at-risk teens and the Early Literacy Intervention model (ELI) for preschoolers, Words Alive has been a direct service provider, catalyzing change at the grassroots level.
Learning Objectives

This is what students will learn as they complete the case.

This case focuses on helping a nonprofit organization transition into policy awareness and advocacy by developing tools and strategies that connect literacy initiatives to broader education policy. Students will build skills in policy analysis, strategic alignment, and knowledge translation while enabling mission-driven organizations to engage in systemic change. 
  •  Analyze state and federal education and literacy policies to understand their impact on nonprofit programming 
  •  Evaluate how policy decisions influence program effectiveness, funding, and long-term outcomes in literacy initiatives 
  •  Develop frameworks to translate complex policy information into accessible, actionable insights for internal stakeholders 
  •  Identify strategic opportunities for nonprofit organizations to engage in advocacy and policy discussions 
  •  Design user-centered tools (e.g., policy mapping tools) that support knowledge sharing and organizational decision-making 
  •  Assess how policy alignment can inform program expansion, partnerships, and community impact strategies 
  •  Create training and integration plans to ensure effective adoption of new tools across an organization 
  •  Define key success metrics to evaluate policy awareness, staff engagement, and the organization’s influence within the policy landscape
Key Action Items

These are activities and action items you might want to complete in order to achieve the expected outcomes.

Milestones
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