FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2024
Chattanooga, TN — Now that Hamilton County students have returned to the classroom from summer break, an estimated 500 kindergarten and first-grade students across 12 local public schools will receive free, daily, one-on-one literacy tutoring at the precise age when research shows the impact of tutoring is most effective.
The Literacy First tutoring program demonstrated significant positive results when Chattanooga 2.0 piloted it at East Side Elementary School during the 2023-24 school year. First-grade students receiving the Literacy First tutoring intervention saw tremendous growth from the fall to spring. Tutored students had larger overall average growth than both the comparison group and all first-grade students combined. In addition, Literacy First students had the largest overall average growth in phonics—the main focus of the tutoring program.
Twelve schools across Hamilton County have hired tutors to benefit even more students after funding was secured by the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga (ULGC) and United Way of Greater Chattanooga (UWGC) from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). The Howard Fund, the Benwood Foundation, the Maclellan Foundation, and the Grandview Foundation are also funding the effort to amplify its impact through public-private partnerships.
In consultation with teachers, students who are just below grade level are selected for tutoring at the beginning of the year. Tutors can serve 8-10 students at a time, and over the course of a school year they graduate students who meet grade level expectations in literacy and begin to serve new children. On average, a Literacy First tutor can support 15 to 18 students each year.
The 12 local elementary schools who will have Literacy First tutors next year are Barger, Bess T. Shepherd, Calvin Donaldson, Clifton Hills, East Lake, East Ridge, East Side, Hardy, Harrison, Orchard Knob, Spring Creek, Woodmore.
“Literacy First has allowed our students to be more engaged in class. They’re able to complete tasks with less support and with more confidence than before they began their tutoring,” said Greg Wilkey, Principal of East Side Elementary. “Our teachers report that students are applying their newfound literacy skills across different content areas, which is a dream come true.”
Literacy First tutoring sessions are led by trained professionals who are vetted and hired by Hamilton County Schools. In addition to initial training, tutors receive weekly coaching sessions to continually improve their tutoring skills.
“Chattanooga 2.0 plays a unique role in our community by gathering information, testing innovative strategies, and scaling programs that make a lifetime of difference for our children,” said Dr. Keri Randolph, Ed.LD, Executive Director of Chattanooga 2.0. “I am grateful to the 2.0 team, Hamilton County Schools, Urban League, United Way, and our other outstanding community partners for their commitment to continually improve educational outcomes in our community.”
This expansion was made possible by generous local partners who funded the pilot program at East Side Elementary School. These partners included the Benwood Foundation, the Maclellan Foundation, the Tucker Foundation, the McKenzie Foundation, the Lyndhurst Foundation, the World Within Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.
“Reading is essential to success in every academic discipline, which is why it was important to us to see Literacy First scale up as a tool to support students who need a little extra help,” says Dr. Justin Robertson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. “I am excited about the partnership with multiple community partners to provide tutoring that will make a real impact in both the short and long term.”
To learn more about Chattanooga 2.0’s work to improve literacy, visit chatt2.org/literacy.
About Chattanooga 2.0
Chattanooga 2.0 was established in 2016 and is a small nonprofit that works to change systems in order to impact generational changes in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, TN. The ultimate goal is to improve economic opportunity and quality of life — and Chattanooga 2.0 believes education attainment is the first step. From early childhood education to the attainment of a thriving wage career, the small team leads initiatives to remove systemic barriers and provide intentional supports to children, students, and their families. Chattanooga 2.0 convenes and leads community groups such as Early Matters, Great Teachers Great Leaders, the Out-of-School Time Alliance, and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Children’s Cabinet.
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MEDIA CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS OR INTERVIEW REQUESTS
Austin Cantrell
Austin@BridgePublicAffairs.com
Additional Coverage:
The Pulse Chattanooga | New Literacy Tutoring Program Scaled To 12 Local Elementary Schools
