Reading Partners Connects

Reading Partners

Reading Partners Connects

Reading Partners Connects harnesses the power of technology and relationships to propel students into grade-level reading.

Oakland, CA, USA

USA

Nonprofit

Literacy is a necessity for a vibrant community. When young children know how to read, they form the foundations necessary for a bright future – yet a history of inequity has kept many children and families from developing their full potential. Recent reports from the National Center for Education Statistics show that reading scores have declined for students across the country for millions of K-4 students in both urban and rural areas. Certain policies continue to exacerbate learning gaps and impede access to high-quality literacy resources, limiting educational possibilities for children in marginalized communities across the country. It doesn't and shouldn't be this way. With our partner schools, organizations, and families, Reading Partners provides evidence-based, 1:1 tutoring that equips students with the skills needed in their journeys to lifelong reading and learning – helping disrupt inequities and co-creating a future where every child’s right to read is made reality.

Reading Partners Connects is a student-centered platform that follows the same principles and structures as our successful, research-backed (https://readingpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RP_EvidenceBase_Digital.pdf) in-person model – only virtually. RP Connects facilitates virtual tutoring and exists within an ecosystem of direct support. For example, students identified for tutoring enter a reading center, or a dedicated space at a partner organization, where a trained coordinator provides real-time coaching while tutors attend sessions and receive feedback from coordinators before and after lessons. RP Connects provides collaboration tools that facilitate student-tutor engagement during synchronous tutoring sessions by offering tutors a streamlined view of the day’s lesson plan alongside a view of what the student does as they make choices or decisions. At the same time, students see the lesson activity, book they are reading, and a window that frames their virtual tutor, who provides guidance and skill-modeling, while the in-person coordinator observes sessions. RP Connects places students into one of five levels of Reading Partners curricula based on an entry assessment. Then, carefully designed curriculum “roadmaps” support targeted skill mastery based on grade level in a linear path.

Reading Partners works with elementary school students from systematically disadvantaged communities who are not yet reading at grade level, do not participate in individual education programs, and have at least conversational English skills. For kindergarten through second-graders, we focus on students who are not yet proficient in foundational reading skills. For third- and fourth-graders, we hone in on students whose reading abilities range between one month and two-and-a-half years below grade-level proficiency. By placing our intervention in the early elementary grades and for students who need our services most, Reading Partners supports students during a key window of their learning and literacy development. Reading Partners Connects also allows us to reach more remote communities in the United States that are more affected by “literacy deserts” — areas where literacy curricula based on the science of reading have not been taken up as the norm. By doubling the rate of our students’ learning, we build their confidence as they transition from struggling readers to independent learners.