The Community Boost
Training: 5 Hours
Instruction: K-5 Foundational Skills & Background Knowledge
Students in the summer program advanced reading skills 13 times faster than they did during the school year! The turnkey training and structured curricula allow existing youth programs to efficiently and effectively advance student literacy.
In 2024, we designed a summer literacy program with individualized instruction in decoding and comprehension skills, as well as an enrichment curriculum to expand background knowledge, build a daily reading habit, and inspire young imaginations with great stories read aloud.
Results
All 48 students improved their skills, but those who were the farthest behind (between 1-4 years below grade level) made the most gains, moving from 53% to 85% of grade level.
The nonprofit School Connect WA runs the summer and afterschool program at Dearborn Park Elementary, serving students from several Seattle Title I schools. We designed this program for their staff and volunteers, which has not expanded to two Seattle locations.
FALL/WINTER 2025 Community Tutoring Clinics
Training & Coaching: 20 Hours Instruction: K-5 Intensive Support in all Literacy Skills
We are in planning stages with three after-school programs serving Seattle schools with a 50-point gap in the reading proficiency of low-income and Black students and their high-income and white peers.
This program addresses a key barrier to eliminating low literacy, and that is an extremely limited number of teachers and tutors who are trained to provide the instruction that 90% of us require to read well. We are partnering with trusted community programs to train staff and community members to provide sustainable, transformative literacy support from within the neighborhood for years to come.
Seattle Students are Graduating without the Ability to Read
Consider – 92% of Seattle Public School seniors graduated in 2024, but only 64% could read proficiently (defined as college or career-ready).
When someone tells you they are using research-based ‘Science of Reading’ instruction, ask to see the data showing that 95% of *all* students are reading at grade level. If that isn’t happening, the methods are not truly research-based.
Community Seminars
Understanding Creates Change Would you like to learn more about improving reading outcomes? We offer both in-person and virtual sessions for families, educators, advocates, and thought leaders.
Strategic Plan
The reading crisis is complex and layered. In the two-page PDF below we recap the issue, opportunity, our strategy and rationale. This is a short version of our longer Case for Support, coming soon.
Capacity & Launch
Our team needs to customize the instruction and training vetted by decades of research, to apply it with fidelity in afterschool and summer settings. The goal is to put students on the path to proficiency, and develop a template for expansion to other schools, grades, and communities in Washington State.
We intentionally created a public non-profit company, to ensure that this vital knowledge will enter the public domain. We need your support to make this a reality.