COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A nationally acclaimed reading improvement program begun last year in the Coldwater School District on a pilot basis is showing much promise.
Schools of Hope features one on one after school tutoring and locally is offered in partnership with United Way of Branch County, the Great Start Collaborative, Coldwater Community Schools and the Kiwanis Club of Coldwater. The goal of the program which in Coldwater works with second graders is to improve their reading to their grade level. The tutoring sessions require a half hour to 45 minute commitment once a week for the trained volunteers working with the kids.
Amy Galliers, the executive director of the Great Start Collaborative, spoke about Schools of Hope this week at Tuesday’s meeting of the Coldwater Noon Rotary Club. Galliers said they knew something had to be done because they had very, very low reading test scores. According to Galliers, students who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without graduating or without a diploma.
Last year, 80% of the 40 children in the program were reading at or slightly above grade level at the end of the year in May. The other ten students didn’t reach their level more than likely only because a tutor wasn’t available soon enough in the year to provide the time necessary to achieve their goal.
For more information on Schools of Hope, which continues to grow in Coldwater with more tutors needed, contact Mark Ott of the Coldwater Kiwanis Club or Kevin Sheppard, Executive Director of United Way of Branch County.
