Reading Partners

Reading Partners is a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving students' reading skills. We work in Title I elementary schools to support students from low-income communities who are reading 6 months to 2.5 years below grade-level.

We recruit and train community volunteers to work one-on-one with students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

Strong reading skills are essential. Students reading below grade level in third grade are four times as likely as their peers to drop out of school before earning their diploma. Dropping out of school and failing to attend college comes with a real price both to the individual and to society. High school dropouts are more likely than those who graduate to be arrested or have a child while still a teenager.

The challenge is significant. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2011, just 34% of our nation?s fourth graders could read proficiently. Once students start to fall behind in reading, they tend to fall faster and further behind their peers with every year.

Reading Partners works. Reading Partners builds a partnership with teachers, parents, and community volunteers to provide students the support they need to succeed. By providing volunteer tutors research-based, structured lesson plans designed to focus on the individual needs of our students, Reading Partners is helping students become strong, confident readers with a passion for learning.

In 2012-13, nearly 9 in 10 Reading Partners students (88%) accelerated their rate of learning in reading.