Reading Partners became part of the Tulsa educational landscape in 2013, when we first began placing community volunteers in low-income schools to help kids master basic reading skills. Our one-on-one tutoring model empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide individualized, personal attention to each student in our program.

Today, only one in four Oklahoma fourth graders is reading at a proficient level and 36% lack even basic literacy skills. By partnering with parents, teachers, public schools, and community leaders in Tulsa, Reading Partners is poised to address Tulsa’s significant opportunity gap.

We’re working together toward a future where all children have the individualized support they need to become strong readers and lifelong learners.

Facing a school year of uncertainty due to COVID-19 in 2020-21, Reading Partners collaborated with teachers and school leaders to meet students’ learning needs, including creating an innovative online tutoring program that can be used to support students when in-person tutoring is not an option. Reading Partners will also continue to invest in family engagement programs and race equity, diversity, and inclusion training for volunteers, staff, and AmeriCorps members to ensure that we are thoroughly supporting students and communities as we emerge from the pandemic and well into the future.

Explore Reading Partners’ impact in Tulsa:

• 2020-21 impact & innovation report: Full year impacted by COVID-19
• 2019-20 impact & innovation report: Tutoring shortened by COVID-19
• 2018-19 impact report: Last full year of student progress results

By The Numbers

  81% of K-2 Reading Partners students met or exceeded their primary literacy growth goal (2020-21).

27 Partner schools (2020-21)  

15,412 Total tutoring sessions (2020-21)

3,370 Hours tutors spent in training (2020-21)