CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati nonprofit is expanding its reach to help more students build stronger reading skills after receiving a $15,000 grant from the Scripps Howard Fund.
Future of Reading partners with local schools to support students struggling with reading, particularly during the critical kindergarten-through-third-grade years, when foundational literacy skills are developed.
"I said, let's create a series of videos in a tutoring format, single teacher to student lessons with a workbook and supplement that with a reading coach that brings in the human element," Jim Connor, president of Future of Reading, said.
The program combines individualized video lessons, workbooks, assessments and one-on-one reading coaches who help students strengthen phonics, comprehension and confidence. Connor said the program removes all references to grade level and age from its courses, instead assessing each student individually to place them at the right skill level.
"We put them at exactly the level they're challenged," Connor said.
Currently, Future of Reading works with students at Oyler Elementary, Roberts Academy and Mount Washington Elementary. The organization plans to expand to Mount Airy School in September.
The urgency behind early intervention is backed by national data. About two-thirds of students are not reading proficiently by fourth grade.
"If you don't read proficiently by the end of the third grade, when you go into the fourth, you're at such a disadvantage," Connor said.
Connor said students who fall behind in reading rarely recover. According to Connor, students who are below proficiency at the fourth grade almost never reach grade level by eighth grade, maintaining the same low level of underperformance.
WATCH: A Cincinnati nonprofit is helping young students learn to read and a new grant is helping it reach even more kids
"I've been surprised how articulate some fourth-grade students are, but I say let's read this story, and they struggle almost right away," Connor said.
Connor said this verbal ability can mask reading deficiencies, allowing students to advance to the next grade without receiving the intervention they need.
Confidence-building is also a central part of the program. Reading coaches, many of them University of Cincinnati and Mount Saint Joseph students, young adults, or retirees, work one-on-one with students to reinforce belief in their own abilities.
"The key is they do want to learn to read. I say this all the time — a first grader who can't read knows that they're behind, and there's an unspoken anxiety," Connor said. "That confidence building is so important."
Connor said the program typically takes four to six weeks to establish a literacy foundation in students who are significantly behind. He described a first-grade student who could only read one or two words at the start of the program and was reading stories comfortably within about eight weeks.
Future of Reading's school partnerships in Cincinnati grew out of a pilot program with Best Point Education and Behavioral Health. Connor said the organization started with one school and expanded after seeing results.
The program is available 24/7 through an online platform, allowing parents to log in and see exactly what lessons their child has completed and watch lessons alongside them at home.
In addition to the Scripps Howard Fund, Future of Reading has received support from PNC Bank and other foundations. The organization is holding a reading coach training session on Sept. 17 at the University of Cincinnati.
Connor said the program is open to volunteers, corporate partners and foundations looking to support literacy in the community.
"I just want to say I'm so excited about Cincinnati as a growth opportunity," Connor said. "If you can read, you can do anything. If you can't read, the opportunities narrow down."
Those interested in volunteering, donating or learning more can contact the organization at info@futureofreading.com or visit futureofreading.com.
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