A Reading Future for Every Child
Thanks for joining us on this exciting journey!
Three months ago, we set out to help build a Reading Future for young children who struggle with reading, especially those with indications or characteristics of dyslexia.
Three months in, we have our first two pilots up and running! We are serving 1st through 3rd grade children around the country, delivering virtual small-group intervention for 50 hours over five weeks. Our students are mostly reading between the 1st and the 10th percentiles — quite far behind. They come from a wide range of backgrounds.
We are lucky to be working with the Hill Center, a private school for children with learning differences based in Durham, North Carolina. We are using their “HillRap” program for word attack and spelling. We are also fortunate to be working with Maryanne Wolf, author of the RAVE-O program, which supports fluency and vocabulary. We are following the evidence, using a multi-component, strategy-based instructional model.
We are also lucky to have some excellent teachers working our summer pilots. All certified teachers with elementary experience. Some are reading specialists, others have taught special ed, and all are trained in our programs and methods. They are enjoying the work — “this is the kind of teaching I want to do” — and are seeing their students make rapid gains.
Finally, the children we’re teaching — and their families — are truly wonderful. The kids are working hard, having fun, and making friends. Their families are supporting them, making sure they have the time and resources to learn. We’ve been doing parent sessions to talk about how they can build on our work — word attack strategies, fluency, and comprehension — at home.
We are measuring our work, using a mix of clinical assessments, and will share our results at the end of the pilots. So far, it feels like a summer of possibility. We are finding the kids who need specialized, high-intensity help. We are figuring out what they need and how to help them learn and grow. We’re optimistic that they’ll return to school reading more proficiently, with new strategies, increased confidence, and a growth mindset.
Thank you again for joining us!
-Dave
