Imagine our nation's children growing into lifelong readers, regardless of their academic and economic backgrounds. Reading Partners focuses its core transformational literacy program to achieve just that: mobilizing a cohort of dedicated, community tutors, alongside trained AmeriCorps members, to provide in-person and virtual one-on-one literacy instruction for 920 K–4 students who are working towards grade-level reading. In 19 Title I schools across DC, they create welcoming reading centers stocked with books and train 30–40 volunteers per school on their research-based curriculum. All children have Individualized Reading Plans, and regular assessments measure their progress — revealing impressive results. In 2021–22, 76% of students met or exceeded their year-end goals for literacy growth, while a DCPS study the year before saw significant improvements in the literacy skills of students enrolled in Reading Partners. Your support helps these students bloom into strong, independent readers.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 5

Where They Operate: DC-Ward 1; DC-Ward 4; DC-Ward 5; DC-Ward 6; DC-Ward 7; DC-Ward 8

Age Groups Served: Youth (5-11)

Population(s) Served: Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Students

Schools They Work In: Achievement Prep Public Charter School; Aiton Elementary School; Bancroft Elementary School; Beers Elementary School; Brightwood Education Campus; City Arts + Prep ; Drew Elementary School; HD Cooke Elementary School; Height Elementary School; Kimball Elementary School; Malcolm X Elementary School; Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School; Nalle Elementary School; Patterson Elementary School; Payne Elementary School; Plummer Elementary School; Seaton Elementary School; Wheatley Education Campus; Whittier Education Campus


  • Number of people (clients, patrons, students, etc) we serve annually:   925 students in 2017-18
  • Number of volunteers who work with us annually:   1,100 volunteers in 2017-18
  • % of students who met or exceeded their end-of-year literacy growth goals in 2016-17:   90
  • % of teachers who report Reading Partners is valuable to their school:   97
  • % of volunteers who were satisfied with their experience in 2016-17:   97

Awards & Recognition

A randomized control trial conducted by MDRC, an independent policy research firm, found Reading Partners to have positive and statistically significant impacts on reading proficiency. The research has been accepted and highlighted by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC).

Reading Partners is a priority partner of the Empowering Males of Color initiative, DC Public Schools' effort to prepare males of color for college, careers, and beyond.

Press

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Budget (FY2023)

  • The current budget for Reading Partners is: $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About Spur Local

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