Local nonprofit, Reading Partners NYC, shows strong student impact results

For Immediate Release

Contact:         

Maris Goodstein

Executive Director, Reading Partners New York City

646.606.2431  |   maris.goodstein@staging.readingpartners.org

READING PARTNERS NYC DELIVERED STRONG STUDENT IMPACT RESULTS IN THE 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR

The early literacy nonprofit is calling for more community tutors, and marathon runners, this fall

(New York, NY) September 12, 2017 — In the 2016-17 school year, Reading Partners continued to build on its history of successfully advancing early literacy in the New York City region. A national nonprofit organization, Reading Partners collaborates with community volunteers and local public schools to provide students in under-resourced schools with the proven, individualized reading intervention they need to read at grade level by fourth grade. Reading Partners collaborates with teachers and principals at local public elementary schools to identify students reading behind grade level and provide them with personalized literacy instruction in a dedicated “reading center” space at their school.

2016-17 school year results were strong

Each year, Reading Partners issues student impact reports for the national organization and for each of its 14 respective regions across the country. The impact reports for the 2016-17 school year have recently been posted on staging.readingpartners.org and include the following highlights.

• In the New York City region:

  • 1,018 students were matched with over 1,000 community volunteers at 19 partner schools who delivered a total of nearly 33,000 tutoring sessions over the course of the year.

  • Among Reading Partners’ youngest students in New York City, 89% mastered key foundational reading skills needed to read at grade level.

  • Based on survey responses, 100% of principals report improved school-wide reading progress, 99% of teachers report Reading Partners is valuable to their school and 96% of volunteers were satisfied with their Reading Partners experience.

  • Learn more about Reading Partners’ impact in New York City here.

  • Learn about Reading Partners’ national impact here.

“Since we launched here in 2011, Reading Partners has more than tripled in size in New York City,” says Reading Partners New York Executive Director Maris Goodstein. “In a district with a million students, we still have a long way to go, but I’m continuously inspired by the community’s willingness to step up and get results for our kids. Our students are making real gains, and that would not be possible without the ongoing commitment of our volunteers, donors, and partners.”

Calling all volunteers for the 2017-18 school year

Nationwide, only one in five low-income students is reading proficiently by the fourth grade. Tragically, this translates into nearly nine million low-income elementary school students who are unable to use reading as a foundational skill to power their learning in all other subjects in school. Reading is, quite simply, a necessary platform for all future learning. Without developing the reading skills needed to read on grade level, kids don’t have an equitable chance to succeed in school or in life. Students who can’t read by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school or not earn a high school diploma.

In the 2017-18 school year, Reading Partners aims to match over 1,100 community volunteers with 1,070 struggling readers in New York City. By tutoring a student one-on-one for as little as an hour a week, volunteers can make an impact that can quite literally alter the course of a child’s educational experience and life.

Audrey, a volunteer tutor at PS 192 in Harlem, says, “I love coming to Reading Partners to connect with my two students and spend one-on-one time with each of them. They are very different. One is confident and the other is shy. But the curriculum is so easy to work with that I can tailor it to each student’s needs and it works so well for both of them.”

The impressive student results highlighted in the 2016-17 impact reports are made attainable by the generous participation of thousands of community volunteers. To become a volunteer with Reading Partners, please visit staging.readingpartners.org/volunteer today.

Looking for runners to join Reading Partners for the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon

Reading Partners New York City is honored to be an official charity partner for the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon—to be held on November 5—and will be providing five runners with guaranteed entry into the race. In turn, participants will fundraise on behalf of Reading Partners New York City. Anyone interested in joining the team can learn more here.

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About Reading Partners
Reading Partners empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has provided proven, individualized literacy tutoring to nearly 45,000 elementary school students in under-resourced schools across ten states and the District of Columbia. Visit staging.readingpartners.org, or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, to learn more.