Annika Olson serves as an Assistant Director of Policy Research at the University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Urban Policy and Research Analysis, whose mission is to “strengthen Black communities, promote social justice, and combat anti-Black racism using a racial equity framework.” Read on to learn how her experience as a Literacy First tutor […]
Read More
Blog
Alumni Spotlight: Johnathan Salinas
Johnathan Salinas was studying Music Performance at Texas State before joining Literacy First. He’s now a first-grade teacher. In this Alumni Q&A, he talks about how the program gave him the “strong foundation” he needed to begin a career in education. What were you doing before joining Literacy First?Before joining Literacy First, I was finishing […]
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 MoreAlumni Spotlight: Johanna (Bolado) Guerrero
Many Literacy First tutors go on to become teachers and educators after their year(s) of service. Former tutor Johanna credits her experience in the program with helping her realize she would be one of them.
Read MoreAlumni Spotlight: Codi Tranel
Meet Codi, a former Literacy First tutor whose most memorable student began unable to write his name. His progress with the program helped influence Codi’s career path.
Read MoreA Diploma, a Lot of Hope, and Other Random Things I Could Fit in a Duffle Bag
Literacy First tutors come from many different backgrounds, hometowns and life stages, and each of their paths to AmeriCorps service is unique. One of the utmost priorities of Literacy First is making sure every single one of our tutors finds community and a strong system of support, both leading up to and during their service […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Learning and Leadership: Meet Henry Jaeger
Introducing Henry Jaeger, who is returning for a second year of service as a bilingual literacy tutor. Why did you choose to serve with Literacy First? When I moved back to the States after teaching in China for six years, I knew I wanted to do AmeriCorps, but I wasn’t sure what program […]
Read More