Charity of the Week

Originally posted on The Week.

Child literacy is paramount to future success, but only about one-fifth of low-income students and one-third of students overall are reading proficiently by fourth grade. Reading Partners (staging.readingpartners.org) has teamed up with schools in under-resourced areas to ensure that kids do not fall behind.

The charity trains its volunteers to implement research-based lesson plans as they meet with their students one on one twice every week. Tutors start by reading aloud, asking questions, discussing the content, and examining the vocabulary. Students then begin reading on their own, with the tutor offering support. Reading Partners works in more than

200 schools nationwide, and 94 percent of principals report that they have seen schoolwide progress. Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which rates not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their governance practices, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest rating.