Empowering teachers to provide effective reading instruction to all students
Classmates Literacy Foundation removes financial barriers to high-quality literacy training for teachers in Dane County, WI and the Chicago Metropolitan area who are working tirelessly to close literacy gaps.
We believe every child deserves a strong foundation in literacy—regardless of background, zip code, or disability—and that begins with well-prepared educators. By removing financial barriers to best-in-class professional development, we expand access to evidence-based training, empowering teachers with the knowledge and skills to meet the diverse needs of EVERY student in their classroom, including those with learning differences such as dyslexia.
2024 Impact
Why reading matters.
Students who aren’t reading at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. They are more likely to enter the juvenile justice system and have higher incarceration rates.
Reading is the foundation of a child’s educational journey.
Literacy lays the groundwork for all future academic development; however, 69% of our nation’s fourth graders are reading at or below the basic level. Kids of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to read.
Families with resources often spend thousands of dollars on tutors and private schools to address their child’s reading challenges. But reading struggles don’t discriminate—they affect kids across all backgrounds and children of color, those from low-income families and students with disabilities are the most impacted and have the least access to the help they deserve.
Using a structured literacy approach based on the science of how kids learn to read
works for nearly ALL children.
Good core literacy instruction matters for ALL students but is critically important for those who do not have financial resources for private tutoring.
The Literacy Crisis
69%
of US 4th graders perform at a basic or below basic reading level.
1 in 5
people have reading difficulties with dyslexia being the most common.
Only 11%
of teachers felt “completely prepared” to teach early reading when they finished their teacher preparation programs.
52%
of students of color are not reading at a basic level in grades 4 and 12.
Our Organization
Through Classmates Literacy Foundation, teachers participate in Slant System® training which is considered the gold standard in literacy instruction for ALL students, and essential for students with reading difficulties or dyslexia.