Oakland, CA —The Oakland REACH and FluentSeeds announced today that they are working together to bring high-dosage literacy tutoring to students in K-2 classrooms in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). The two education-focused nonprofits began partnering with OUSD this October to recruit parents and caregivers and train them in structured and strategic literacy tools that students desperately need to become fluent readers.
In early 2021, The REACH & OUSD received a $900k grant to pilot this model with a cohort of schools with low reading outcomes. This model is now scaling, in partnership with FluentSeeds, to serve 5,500 high-need K-2 students across OUSD.
“Dismal reading scores may be making headlines these days, but our families know that the literacy crisis isn’t new — it’s been impacting generations of students here in Oakland. Our kids can’t read and that’s what keeps me and thousands of Oakland parents up at night,” said Lakisha Young, Founder and CEO of The Oakland REACH. “That’s why we’re scaling our proven model to reach thousands more students. Not only are we breaking the cycle of our youngest students getting passed on and passed over when it comes to learning to read, but we’re also making sure we’re fostering the talent we need, here in our community, to make sure that happens not just this year, but every year after.”
This innovative partnership is unique in tackling two urgent crises:
- The reading crisis: With only 3 out of 10 Black and Brown students in OUSD at or above grade level in reading, it is more important than ever to focus on ensuring students in the early grades get the instruction they need for a solid grounding in literacy foundations.
- The teacher shortage: Cities across the country, including Oakland, are facing severe teacher shortages, making it nearly impossible to deliver the necessary expertise to help students learn to their full potential. We are creating a pipeline of talent from parents/caregivers in the community to provide that capability inside our schools.
The program is a winning combination of FluentSeeds’ demonstrated and rigorously tested literacy frameworks with REACH’s proven track record in leadership development for families. It will offer paid fellowship and residency opportunities to help literacy tutors become powerful educators and leaders in OUSD schools and their communities. All instruction is based on the science of reading and healthy relationships— of doing what we know works for kids.
“At FluentSeeds, our work is grounded in the science of reading and fostering healthy social-emotional environments so that every child has the support they need to learn to read. We use data as a flashlight — not as a hammer — to inform instruction and provide support where and when needed for each individual child,” said Kate Horst, Executive Director of FluentSeeds. “Data and science are crucial, and just as important is fostering a positive, supportive environment where students and tutors alike can thrive. We’re committed to working alongside literacy tutors; observing, providing helpful feedback, and coaching on strategies to strengthen their instruction. This is how we build a community of readers.”
For anyone interested in becoming a tutor, please visit https://www.tfaforms.com/5017741.