Literacy Partners was E3's middle school reading program that connected volunteer employee reading partners with students to help them improve reading skills. Strong literacy skills are fundamental to academic success. In elementary school, most students get off to a good start in reading. But, in middle school, the job gets tougher. Students shift from an emphasis on learning how to read, to one of using reading to learn. Not only are students expected to read basic text, but they are also expected to interpret and analyze what they've read, and elaborate on the meaning of the text. Too many children fail to make this transition successfully. As a result, less skilled readers begin to struggle in many subject areas. As they progress through school, the problem gets worse. Working in the schools, mentors typically meet once a week to read with students and use simple exercises to help students improve their reading fluency and comprehension. Results are very encouraging.
Between 2004 and 2009, Literacy Partners has helped improve reading skills for nearly 300 middle school students in 15 schools across Oregon. Teachers have reported increased interest in students for reading and their academic scores are going up. For example, in Corvalis reading fluency scores went up nearly 30% in two of the district middle schools from 2006 - 2007.
For information about how each community is delivering Literacy Partners, visit their community links below.
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