During the 2020-21 school year, Team Read provided 40 hours of one:one reading time for hundreds of 2nd-4th grade students online after school. We saw them develop powerful connections with their teen reading coaches and become stronger, more confident readers. In the spring, an external evaluator conducted stakeholder surveys and program evaluations to help us understand the benefits and challenges of implementing the Team Read program in a virtual setting. Preliminary results indicate our reading pairs, families, and district partners value Team Read and saw a positive impact on young readers and teens at a time when students were coping with academic and social interruption from the coronavirus. Below are a few initial stats from the surveys:
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- 92.5% of reading coaches say Team Read gave them the skills they can use in other work settings, now and in the future
- 98.4% of reading coach parents say Team Read gave their teen a chance to make a difference
- 90.9% of readers’ families say their student’s reading skills have improved
- 92.9% of site coordinators say student readers who participated in Team Read enjoyed the program
Of course most of our coaches and readers would prefer to work together in-person, but they enjoyed having the opportunity to connect and work together online after school:
“I like that I can just log on to my computer and see a smiling face excited to read with me for a while. It’s kind of heartwarming.” –Reading Coach
“I like remote Team Read because it’s fun and I can read online.” –Student Reader
“It’s a real privilege to have your first employment experience be something that can feel really meaningful. As we’ve gone into this past year dealing with the pandemic, programs like Team Read that provide of a sense of purpose when we’re all feeling so isolated, and being able to connect with the community in different ways like this, has been more important than ever.” –Tania, Parent of a Coach and Former Student Reader
We are still collecting some final data from the 2020-21 school year and look forward to providing a full evaluation report this fall. Stay tuned!