By third grade, more than half of DC students have fallen behind in reading. This shortfall has serious, long-term implications because reading ability is a strong predictor of high school completion, college success, and stable employment. So Reach takes a novel approach. It recruits as tutors teens who have experienced significant academic challenges themselves. Professional instructors guide them in preparing lesson plans with a focus on decoding and comprehension skills, and Reach entrusts them with tutoring elementary students in need. Tutors gain 120 hours of teaching experience; approximately 90% graduate from high school; their young charges receive 60 extra hours of reading instruction. The results? Both groups experience significant growth: 1.5 years for tutees and two years for their tutors. For the teens who learn by teaching and for the children who benefit, it’s a win-win.
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