June 23, 2014

A Monumental Year for Reading Partners

This month has been monumental for us at Reading Partners with the release of our most comprehensive, evidence based research to date. The study, implemented by MDRC, a leading national evaluation firm, found that Reading Partners boosted three critical measures of reading proficiency for second to fifth grade students. It also demonstrated that given the right supports and resources, ordinary people can make an extraordinary impact on students who struggle with reading.

As we celebrated our fantastic results, our staff came together for a virtual “town hall,” to take a look back as we read on into the future.

Topping the list of take-aways from the meeting was getting to know our new, exceptionally tall, CFO, Mike Barr, and taking a look back into our 2013-14 book of the year, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Our CEO says that the story reminds us that “imagination can take us anywhere, but we always end up home,” and that’s why he loves Harold and the Purple Crayon.

But the main highlight was our list of incredible milestones, which were only accomplished with the support of our extended community — volunteers, supporters, school partners, and more.

In 2013, with the help of our extended Reading Partners community, we:

• Brought individualized tutoring to more than 7,223 students.

• Distributed thousands of books to students in need of reading materials.

• Mobilized more than 11,593 community volunteers who became reading partners for our students across the country.

• Processed 2,000 gifts which contributed to supporting our expansion to 31 new schools in the upcoming year.

This was an incredible year, and we look forward to even bigger things ahead. Thank you for being an important part of working towards our vision, of a future where all children in this nation have the reading skills they need to reach their full potential — and for making each day worth celebrating.