On an unseasonably bright and sunny February afternoon, the cafeteria at Beacon Hill Elementary School in south Seattle is abuzz with the chatter of children. Backpacks, coats, and the remnants of snacks litter the tables and benches. Laughter fills the room.
This is the after-school scene here twice a week, when 35 second- and third-graders gather for tutoring through Team Read, a local nonprofit that pairs high schoolers with younger students who need extra help with their reading.
Though it’s been around for more than 10 years, Team Read is not widely known beyond the 13 public schools it serves across Seattle. It got its start with funding from the foundation of cell phone billionaire Craig McCaw and his wife, Susan. Since then, it’s gotten promising results. Today, 95 percent of participants’ teachers report that kids’ reading skills improve, and 80 percent of the participants say they find reading more fun since joining Team Read.
Part of Team Read’s success comes from its close relationship with Seattle Public Schools. “From the beginning, what made it so successful was that the curriculum was developed by a reading specialist who knew the district’s priorities,” says Executive Director Maureen Massey. “It is really aligned with what the district is doing in the classroom.”
Team Read also invests a lot of time maintaining relationships with the elementary schools it serves. “The principals and teachers want us in their schools,” says Laura Collins, Team Read’s community support coordinator.
The students served by Team Read are those most at risk of falling behind in school. “We ask teachers to refer students who are reading in the bottom 40 percent,” Massey says, though in an ideal world, she’d like to serve every student who needs support.
Students are tutored twice a week after school from October through May. Each session begins with a snack, followed by a few minutes of vocabulary work, then reading and comprehension exercises. The students choose from a collection of Team Read books that are geared toward each grade level. They also read school library books.
The tutors, or “coaches,” come to Team Read from local high schools. They have to be at least 14 years old, have at least a 2.7 grade-point average and three signed references from teachers. Prospective tutors also have to submit essays. Massey loves it when high schoolers who got reading help from Team Read as youngsters come back eager to serve as tutors. “Reading their application essays saying, ‘Now is my time to give back,’ is the kind of thing that keeps all of us very energized about the work that we’re doing.”
Coaches get five hours of training developed by the school district’s reading specialists. They are also compensated for their time – coaches can apply their hours toward community service requirements, be paid, or defer their payment toward college tuition. (The program pays $7.93 per hour, or tacks on a 50 percent bonus if tutors defer their earnings for college tuition. So if they make $1,000, Team Read sends $1,500 to the college of their choice.)
There’s also a pilot program that’s training middle schoolers to be reading coaches.
Perhaps more important than the numbers is the relationships that Team Read is cultivating between the young students and their coaches. For many of the students Team Read serves, the one-on-one focus makes all the difference. Often, the time spent with their coaches is the only opportunity they have to read with someone who is there just for them.
“One of the things I’ve observed is just how discouraged many of the elementary kids are when they come in to the program,” says Massey. “It’s a very sad thing. And then to see it turn around by the end of the year, to see their confidence levels improve, is very inspiring.”
