March is National Reading Month, and students need reading support now more than ever. According to an article from The Hechinger Report, data shows kids are behind in reading achievement because of COVID-19, especially in the early grades:
- The share of first graders nationwide in need of intensive intervention in reading hit 40 percent last fall, up from 27 percent in 2019, according to Amplify Education Inc., a company that provides assessments for students across the United States.
- About 35 percent of second-graders scored significantly below benchmarks, up from 29 percent in 2019.
Lead to Read KC is providing key supports and resources to our partner schools to help students catch up ― and keep up:
- Weekly one-to-one reading and mentoring for students (Get a sneak peek at our digital program here.)
- Books, literacy resources and read-alouds for teachers
- A reading lab, complete with dedicated tablets and headsets, at Genesis School
- Literacy tools for parents on leadtoreadkc.org
- New intensive summer school reading support program
Learn more about strategies schools are using to address learning loss in The Hechinger Report.
Read this McKinsey report on COVID-19 and student learning to learn more about how racial disparities in learning will be compounded by COVID-19.
Lead to Read KC is grateful for the outpouring of support from our community partners and volunteer Reading Mentors which has enabled us to continue our mission and help students minimize COVID-19-related learning loss. Thank you!
Students in Lead to Read KC’s Reading Lab at Genesis School participate in a weekly digital reading and mentoring session.