Blog

Longtime Literacy First Supporters Helen and Sandy Watkins and Family Make $2 Million Pledge to Program

Dear Friends of Literacy First,  I am writing to share with you that I will be retiring as Director of Literacy First effective March 2022, and to express my deep gratitude to all those who have been a part of this incredible journey.  When I think back on my 25 years with Literacy First, I […]

Literacy First’s District Capacity Building Model, as the name suggests, is designed to build the capacity of districts over time. One of the ways in which we see progress toward this goal is through employment of the local workforce within their community. Libni Sanchez is a Literacy First paraprofessional tutor in Del Valle ISD, working […]

Equity is at the forefront of Literacy First’s organizational goals. Staff continued efforts in 2020-2021 to ensure the entire organization reflects this core value. The Literacy First DEI Committee met twice monthly to plan and execute initiatives, with the mission of meeting strategic plan goals to increase diversity, strengthen inclusion, and ensure racially equitable outcomes. Trained staff hosted “Civic Reflections” […]

Since its inception in 1994, Literacy First has invested in rigorous research to evaluate the impact of the program on student outcomes. Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, the American Institutes for Research partnered with Literacy First to conduct an independent evaluation of the impact of participation in Literacy First on the early reading skills […]

By Gillian Pace, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor Through the past year of tutoring, my understanding of reading instruction has improved tremendously. Before I learned about Literacy First, most of my knowledge came from personal experience. My memories of early literacy are reading with my parents or little brother. I didn’t have any formal knowledge of […]

By Kylee Pearl, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor There are some things you can never be prepared for when it comes to teaching. Although there are many lessons you learn while tutoring, one lesson that has, somewhat unexpectedly, impacted me the most is the relationships I have made with my students.  Every kid is different. You […]

By Amanda Woodle, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor Dear Students, I am sorry I could not tell you this in person, and I am so sad that we had to say goodbye sooner than expected. But more importantly, I am so proud of all of the hard work you have put in and all that you […]

By Lauren, 2019-2020 Literacy First Tutor At the time, I was completely unaware that Thursday, March 12th would be my last day of tutoring. As far as I knew, it was a normal weekday. I do not remember much of the school day, but I do remember choosing a t-shirt to wear to field day […]