Elementary School Participants Make Major Literacy Gains!

This National Literacy Month, we are thrilled to celebrate the incredible progress made by the youth we served in our literacy programs during the 2023-24 school year. After an external analysis, the results are promising and underscore the impact of our efforts in fostering a love of reading and empowering students to reach critical academic milestones within this program since the 1990s.

At Girls Inc. of Alameda County, we primarily serve youth from marginalized communities. Of the students in our literacy programs, 97% identify as girls of color, and 96% qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Literacy rates are low in the communities we serve as a result of compounded barriers over generations. Our impact illustrates how our comprehensive and consistent supports for our elementary school participants translates into remarkable growth in literacy, a key predicator of future academic success.

Literacy Growth Across the Board

In the 2023-24 school year, we operated in nine Title 1 elementary schools in Oakland– Acorn, Allendale, Bella Vista, Bridges, Burckhalter, Horace Mann, La Escuelita, International Community, Think College Now– where we served nearly 800 students, and we are proud to report that 100% of the students in our literacy programs made progress toward grade-level reading. This achievement is a testament to our students’ hard work, the dedication of our staff, parent/caregiver support, and the effectiveness of our literacy model.

Additionally,

By the end of the 2023-24 school year, 59% of K-5 students in our program were reading at grade level, compared to only 24% at the start of the year. This represents an astounding 146% increase.
Our participants far outpaced their peers in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) who face similar socio-economic challenges. For comparison, only 22.5% of socioeconomically disadvantaged OUSD 3rd-5th graders were reading at grade level during the 2022-23 school year, with even lower rates for Black (15%) and Latinx (16%) students per 2022-23 stats.
In the K-3 grade range, we saw a 163% increase in students reading at grade level, rising from 24% to 63% by year’s end.
Among 4th and 5th graders, there was a 113% improvement, with 49% of students reaching grade-level literacy, up from 23% at the start of the year.
By the end of the year, 52% of English Learners in our program were reading at grade level, a 117% increase from the start of the year. This is six times higher than that of their English Learner peers in OUSD’s 3rd-5th grades (8%-9%) during the 2022-23 school year.

First-time enrollees showed remarkable progress, with 60% reaching grade-level reading by the end of the year, up from 21% at the beginning—a 186% improvement.

These impressive gains highlight the success of our literacy initiatives and the resilience of the students we serve.

A Proven Literacy Model

We understand that reading at grade level is a cornerstone for future academic success. That’s why we focus on literacy for our elementary-aged participants, working with ~80 trained community members who bring these programs to life every day in after school programming in Title 1 schools.

Our holistic, intensive literacy model is designed to engage students with a combination of structured activities and creative approaches during a daily hour of literacy instruction after school, including:

Read Alouds that build students’ confidence and comfort with reading.

Small Group Activities focused on foundational literacy skills, such as word recognition and phonics.

Reader’s Theater, a fun and interactive activity where students act out scenes from stories to improve comprehension and engage with the text in a lively way.

Guided Reading Sessions, where students receive targeted instruction at their specific grade level.

In addition, we cultivate an after-school library at each school representing the students’ backgrounds and cultures, and gift them with books several times a year, encouraging parents to read with their children, whether in English or another language.

By fostering a supportive and dynamic learning environment, we empower our students to develop a deep love of reading, which is essential not just for academic achievement but for personal growth and lifelong learning.

The Power of Literacy

In honor of National Literacy Month, we reflect on the broader impact of literacy on our participants. Reading is not just a fundamental human right; it is a tool that unlocks new worlds of discovery and development. Through our literacy programs, students learn to connect stories with their own lives, identify with characters, and critically examine the messages conveyed in books. These skills are crucial as they continue their academic journeys and prepare to become thoughtful, informed, and confident individuals.

As we celebrate the past year’s achievements, we remain committed to ensuring that every child can unlock the power of literacy. Together, we can continue to inspire a new generation of readers, thinkers, and leaders.