³ÉÈË¿ì²¥

As ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥’ students narrow their achievement gaps, futures brighten.

When ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ (then YES Reading) first opened its doors in 1999, our founders had a bold vision for the future of education. They imagined a world in which students from all socio-economic backgrounds had the capacity to chart their own futures, equipped with the critical tool of literacy. They knew the value of individualized instruction – and the friendship, mentorship, and inspiration that a tutor can provide a child. And they believed in the power of community involvement to make it all happen.

Since 1999, we’ve grown from a single school in Menlo Park, CA, serving a few dozen students, to over 100 schools serving over 5,500 students. In just the past five years, we’ve increased the number of students served five-fold, up from 1,000 students.

Despite the meteoric growth we’ve experienced, ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ has remained committed to the quality instruction that inspired our founders all those years ago. In the 2012-2013 school year:

• 88% of our students accelerated their rate of learning in reading.
• Prior to enrollment in ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, most of our students were only gaining about 0.6 months of literacy skills for each month of classroom instruction. The average ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ participant nearly tripled that rate, gaining 1.6 months by the end of the year.
• 72% of students narrowed their literacy gaps with their peers who read at grade level.

As students bridge their gaps, they get closer and closer to taking charge of their futures – and that is empowering.

But what makes ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ special – and what we’ve seen happen time and again this year – is that our program, which focuses on the individual student, has transformative effects on both the school and community as a whole. Having the ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ program has a ripple effect in schools – 92% of principals reported school-wide improvement of reading progress, and 98% of principals and teachers believed that ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ was a valuable asset to their school. With over 7,000 dedicated volunteer tutors nationwide, we’re well on our way to addressing the reading achievement gap with a community solution.

So, as we look toward the 2013-14 school year, we continue to pursue our founders’ vision of a simple act of volunteerism creating daring change. As we grow to new regions and new schools, we’ll remain dedicated to the individual students, the school, and the community – and the magic that happens when we bring them together.