The READ USA footprint continues to grow in Duval County!

We are proud to announce that READ USA Literacy Tutoring has launched at YMCA Tiger Academy, expanding our impact and deepening our commitment to ensuring more students receive the literacy instruction and support they need to succeed. Team READ USA is also providing Teacher Professional Development to YMCA Tiger Academy's English-Language Arts teachers. 

This new partnership, made possible through private funding, represents more than the addition of another school site—it reflects our shared belief that every child deserves the ability to read at grade level and unlock the lifetime of true freedom that comes from reading proficiently.

Partnerships like this are how we accelerate community literacy outcomes, one student and one school at a time!

"We were impressed with READ USA's unique approach to improving literacy skills and the impact of Literacy Tutoring on both the students and teen tutors," shared Ted Baker, Chairman of the YMCA Tiger Academy Board of Directors. "We anticipate positive outcomes for our students and for our school overall from this partnership, and it's been great to see how READ USA has already hit the ground running."

Starting last week, third- and fourth-grade students at YMCA Tiger Academy began receiving Literacy Tutoring four days per week from READ USA-trained teen tutors, under the supervision of certified reading coaches. READ USA is also providing Teacher Professional Development to YMCA Tiger Academy ELA teachers, helping them become even more effective in their classrooms with literacy instruction. 

READ USA teen tutors deliver focused, high-impact instruction—tailored to meet students where they are and move them forward—that strengthens foundational skills, builds fluency, deepens comprehension, and reinforces writing.

Our model is intentionally data-driven. All students in Literacy Tutoring are assessed regularly to monitor progress, inform instruction, and ensure that each child is receiving the right level of support. By combining high-quality curriculum, consistent instructional time, and strong implementation, our tutoring model has demonstrated measurable gains in reading growth year after year.

“This partnership is an exciting milestone for both of our organizations, reflecting our shared commitment to using proven strategies to move students to grade-level proficiency,” shared our President & CEO Dr. Rob Kelly. “By providing professional development to teachers to enhance their core instruction while providing an effective literacy intervention for the students who are behind, this comprehensive approach can result in transformational outcomes over the short- and long-term.”

This expansion reflects what we know to be true: when curriculum, instructional time, quality delivery, and data-informed decision-making come together, students thrive!

We are grateful to Tiger Academy’s leadership and staff for their partnership and shared commitment to student achievement and teacher professional development. Their dedication to academic excellence and student-centered learning makes this collaboration a natural fit.

Just as importantly, we are thankful for the donors who believe in our work and impact and have made this collaboration possible!

As we look ahead, we are excited about the progress we will measure, the milestones we will celebrate, and the lives that will be impacted.

The work is underway, and the best is yet to come!

READ USA Seeks Tutor & Volunteer Recruitment Associates  

Team READ USA has TWO opportunities to join our mission of solving illiteracy and building the workforce of tomorrow!

Through funding from the AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, READ USA is offering two year-long, full-time service opportunities. We are seeking:

• One Volunteer Recruitment Associate
• One Tutor Recruitment Associate
  

Both of these opportunities add capacity to READ USA and help us continue to recruit and engage future teen tutors and volunteers.

Share this email if you know a young adult who:

• Has completed at least some college courses
• Wants to gain practical work experience
• Is passionate about uplifting our under-resourced neighbors
• Enjoys working with people who want to make a difference in our community and world!

Our Wonderful Volunteers are vital to our mission and work!

The Volunteer Recruitment Associate will work alongside READ USA leadership to create, implement, and evaluate volunteer recruitment strategies over four phases during the year-long service opportunity. The Volunteer Recruitment Associate will essentially create a handbook for READ USA to use in perpetuity to strengthen our volunteer engagement.

Tutors in our Literacy Tutoring program provide one-to-one literacy lessons to elementary students who are below grade-level reading proficiency. 

The Tutor Recruitment Associate will support the READ USA programs team and develop, implement, and evaluate scalable strategies that attract, recruit, and retain teens for our Literacy Tutoring program. (You can read more about Literacy Tutoring here.) This position will also be conducted over four phases during the course of the year.

Both positions receive a bi-weekly living stipend and are eligible for education awards upon successful completion of the one-year service term.

Interested in learning more? Email your cover letter and resume to Becky Nathanson, Senior Director of AmeriCorps and Human Resources, at becky@readusainc.com.

Thank you to AmeriCorps VISTA for this fantastic opportunity to help READ USA continue to grow our impact!  

The Wheels of Reading Improvement  

At the Florida Literacy Association Conference in January, nationally recognized literacy expert Dr. Tim Shanahan delivered a powerful presentation on what truly drives reading achievement. A former president of the International Literacy Association, former director of reading for Chicago Public Schools, and a leading voice in the Science of Reading, Dr. Shanahan has spent decades helping educators, schools, and districts nationwide implement research-based literacy practices that improve student outcomes.

Dr. Shanahan’s FLA Conference session focused on his well-known framework: the Wheels of Reading Improvement. The model offers a clear and practical way to understand what matters most in advancing student reading success.

At the center of the model is what Dr. Shanahan refers to as the “Golden Ring,” containing three critical variables:

• The quality of the curriculum (content of instruction)

• The amount of instruction (time and exposure)

• The quality of instruction (how well it is delivered)

According to Dr. Shanahan, these three factors deliver the biggest payoff in student learning because they directly shape the student’s experience. In other words, the student remains at the center of the work, and when students receive more high-quality teaching focused on the essential elements of reading, their achievement increases.

He emphasized that reading growth is not accidental—it is the result of intentional decisions about what students are taught, how much instruction they receive, and how effectively that instruction is delivered. His framework reinforces a student-centric approach: optimize the learning experience for the child, and the outcomes will follow.

Dr. Shanahan also discussed the many factors that influence the amount of instruction students receive, including attendance, early childhood experiences, home literacy environments, academic preschool, number of school days, and access to interventions or afterschool programs. Each of these variables affects students’ opportunities to build reading proficiency.

Equally important is the quality of instruction itself, which includes having clear purposes for lessons, maximizing meaningful reading and language use, maintaining instructional intensity, fostering interaction and motivation, and ensuring appropriate text complexity.

Dr. Shanahan’s “Golden Ring” mirrors the approach used in READ USA’s Literacy Tutoring program, both of which place students squarely at the center. Literacy Tutoring’s approach to moving students toward grade-level reading proficiency reflects these same principles:

• We use high-quality curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading.

• We provide the right instructional “dosage,” tutoring students three days per week to ensure consistent exposure and practice.

• We invest in the quality of instruction by training our teen tutors and supporting them with certified reading coaches who ensure fidelity and effectiveness in implementation.

When these three elements—curriculum, amount of instruction, and quality of instruction—are aligned and optimized, students receive the strongest possible learning experience.

As Dr. Rob Kelly shared following the session, “We appreciated Dr. Shanahan’s clear emphasis on the core drivers of reading success. His ‘Golden Ring’ reinforces something we believe deeply at READ USA: when students receive high-quality curriculum, sufficient instructional time, and strong instructional delivery, they thrive. Our tutoring model is intentionally built around those same principles because keeping students at the center of the experience is what moves them to grade-level proficiency.”

Dr. Shanahan’s presentation also reinforced an important truth: meaningful literacy gains happen when we focus on what matters most and when we design systems around the needs of students. By prioritizing the right content, sufficient instructional time, and high-quality delivery, we create the conditions for students to succeed.

At READ USA, that student-centered commitment remains at the heart of our work. And we are grateful for leaders like Dr. Shanahan whose research and frameworks continue to affirm and strengthen the path forward.

Thank you to Dr. Shanahan for sharing his expertise with FLA Conference attendees this year! 

If you want to read more about Dr. Shanahan and his work, click here.                           

Children’s Book:  See Marcus Grow by Marcus Bridgewater  

Jumpstart’s annual Read for the Record event is happening tomorrow (Thursday, February 26), and this year’s book is See Marcus Grow by Marcus Bridgewater, which we are featuring as this week’s Children’s Book: 

See Marcus Grow is a thoughtfully designed book that focuses on the universal theme of growth and change through the experiences of a young boy named Marcus.

The central theme of See Marcus Grow is growth—both physical and personal—and the idea that change happens gradually over time. Through Marcus’s experiences, the book shows young readers that growing is a natural and ongoing process, something everyone goes through at their own pace.

The story highlights visible changes as Marcus gets older. These moments help children understand time and development in a concrete way. Young readers, who are often very aware of their own size and abilities, can easily relate to this aspect of the theme. It reassures them that growing is normal and something to look forward to.

More importantly, the book also touches on emotional and social growth. As Marcus grows, he learns new skills and becomes more independent. This reinforces the idea that growth is not just about age or size, but about learning, responsibility, and confidence. For young readers, this helps frame challenges—such as trying new things or making mistakes—as part of growing up rather than something to fear.

Another key element of the theme is patience. The book subtly teaches that growth does not happen all at once. By showing Marcus at different stages, the story encourages children to understand that progress takes time. This can be especially meaningful for children who may feel frustrated when they cannot do something right away.

Overall, the theme of See Marcus Grow promotes a positive mindset about change and development. It helps children recognize their own growth, appreciate their progress, and feel hopeful about who they are becoming. This makes the book not only a literacy tool, but also a gentle lesson in self-acceptance and perseverance.

Submitted by Melanie Poag, READ USA Content Assistant