Katie Van Winkle’s Service Comes Full Circle While working as a professor at Austin Community College (ACC), former Literacy First tutor Katie Van Winkle would interact with high school students participating in the Early College High School program (ECHS), an opportunity to obtain college credit while in high school. During one of her theatre classes, Katie […]
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Blog
My Experience with Literacy First and Mindful AISD
Celeste discusses her experience serving remotely, both as a tutor and in her partnership creating mindfulness videos for AISD students.
Read MoreIt All Adds Up
Serving as a middle school mathematics tutor, a soon-to-be Literacy First tutor witnesses firsthand the connection between literacy and academic success.
Read MoreConfidence, Earned
By Illan Kunik, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor One of the things that I am most frequently asked about regarding my experience as a Literacy First tutor is simple: what is my favorite part of working with the kids? Such a simple question can be one of the most difficult things to answer. For starters, there […]
Read More11 a.m. on a Wednesday
By McKenna May, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday and I’m sitting at home, on my couch, trying to type with a dog on my lap. This doesn’t seem like a bad place to be. I love my dog and this couch is very comfy. If this were a weekend or […]
Read MoreCelebrating Uniqueness with Author Jennifer Lynch
When asked to give a synopsis of her new children’s book, Livi & Grace, in one sentence, author Jennifer Lynch pauses thoughtfully. After a few moments of reflection, she relays what she writes when signing a copy – “Love your uniqueness.” It’s clear that Jennifer’s brief hesitation is due to her deep, personal connection with […]
Read MorePartnering with BookSpring to Prevent the Summer Reading “Slide”
Literacy First tutors dedicate thousands of hours each year teaching students to read. However, research has shown that during summer vacation, 80 percent of students from economically disadvantaged communities lose reading skills. Literacy First is proud to partner with BookSpring to help mitigate that loss through the Summer Success program. Summer Success includes STEAM-themed teacher lesson plans and books, parent […]
Read MoreThe Power of Perseverance
Some Literacy First students begin our program very far behind: their reading skills are more than one grade level lower than the state guidelines for their current grade. For these students, “significant progress ” means that they make exponential gains in reading but they are still below their grade level at year’s end. However, this […]
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The Power of a Field Trip
By Holly O’Hara, 2017-18 Literacy First tutor More often than not, Literacy First tutors gain insights that are not necessarily limited by the time they spend with their students in the classroom. Literacy First tutors become part of the community of the schools where they serve – they’re around five days a week, and in […]
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Closing the Gap
by Grace Blakistone, 2016-17, 2017-18 Literacy First Tutor We often hear that tutors are drawn to our program by our mission of educational equity, so much so that it becomes ingrained in their life’s work. After leaving the Literacy First program, many tutors go on to work in public policy, justice, and human services, as […]
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