Posted on August 4, 2021

To support the development of Jumpstart: Foundations to Early Reading Success, an offering focused on phonics to address the needs of Kindergarten and First Grade students struggling to read post-pandemic. The program develops teachers’ key instructional competencies so that they can better rise to the challenge of closing the reading gap by the end of Grade 2. It was created specifically: (1) for schools that require immediate support addressing reading challenges in Grades K and 1; and (2) to serve as an onramp to Early Reading Matters, their signature reading program, which is substantially impacting the reading outcomes for children by the end of Grade 2. It will: help Grade K-1 teams improve procedures and assessments that monitor students’ phonics progress (letter identification, letter sounds, and concepts of print); and better ensure that 70% of students move from “pre-readers” to “beginning readers” by the end of the program intervention. The grant will help Teaching Matters to reach approximately 100 students identified as “persistently struggling” readers in at least three NYC schools as part of their larger initiative to reach 3,000 students in 80 New York City schools next year. Teaching Matters works to increase teacher effectiveness, one of the most critical factors regarding student success, by transforming how educators work together at urban public schools, helping the most effective teachers to develop the necessary skills to then lead their peers and drive school-wide improvement.