When people talk about literacy, the conversation often centers on skills and for good reason.
Students need strong instruction in phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. They need excellent teachers, high-quality curriculum, and targeted interventions when they struggle. At Lead to Read KC, we believe deeply in those investments, which is why we’re proud that 88% of students participating in our tutoring program made measurable reading gains this year.
But reading proficiency is about more than skills alone. To become a reader, a child must also want to read.
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Students in tutoring made measurable reading gains
That’s why one of my favorite findings from this year’s student surveys has nothing to do with test scores or benchmarks. When asked to describe reading with their Reading Mentor, the most common response was simple: “Fun.”
At first glance, that may not sound groundbreaking. Yet for many of the students we serve, reading has historically been associated with frustration, struggle, or failure. When a child begins to connect reading with joy, curiosity, laughter, and belonging, something important shifts. Reading becomes personal, joyful, and something to look forward to diving into.
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Teachers report students' attitudes about reading were positively influenced
Across our programs this year, we saw evidence of that shift. Teachers reported that students’ attitudes toward reading improved, and among students who reported disliking reading at the beginning of the school year, 80% said they liked reading by spring. (View the full report.)
That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because more than 2,000 Reading Mentors showed up each week to sit beside students, listen to them, encourage them, and remind them that reading can be enjoyable. It happened because thousands of books found their way into homes and community spaces. It happened because students were given opportunities to see themselves as readers.
This year alone, Lead to Read KC facilitated more than 38,000 Reading Mentoring sessions, distributed over 56,000 books, and connected 1,703 students with a Reading Mentor.
Fifteen years ago: 1 school. 15 mentors. Today: 33 schools. 2,000+ mentors. Those numbers matter.
But behind every number is something even more powerful: a child who is beginning to believe that reading is not just something they have to do, it’s something they can enjoy, thanks to a caring adult who took the time to make it click. And that may be one of the most important building blocks of literacy there is.
