Read more about ALL’s efforts in the spring issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
Alonzo is reading further into books, says his mother, Tamira Muir. Ashlee Watts-Page says her son Cayden gets excited when he recognizes words in stores.
Both children were part of the fall pilot of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) Literacy Tutoring Program, which enrolled 25 students in kindergarten through third grade. The 11-week program was again under way this spring with nearly twice as many students, and it has expanded to include fourth- through sixth-graders.
“The Literacy Tutoring Program is a new example of UMB delivering something meaningful that will help change the trajectory and lives of the students,” said Nick Kouwenhoven, MBA, ALL’s executive director. “The literacy challenge facing K-12 students in Baltimore spans the grade levels. But if you can learn to read early, it’s enormously important for your ability to progress.”
This spring, the tutors were a mix of professional tutors, UMB graduate students, and retired teachers who are trained in the literacy curriculum and have extensive tutoring experience. The tutors are given a lesson plan for the day from a curriculum specialist and specific books to read with the students.
“When they finally start to learn the sounds, and they all do it together and they all read out loud, it’s like that ‘aha’ moment,” said Aza Shiao, a University of Maryland School of Dentistry student who tutored in the fall. “You can see their gears turning in their heads.”
Read more about the tutoring program in the spring issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Spring 2023 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights the work of the University's women deans; the School of Medicine’s research to fight malaria; the School of Nursing’s partnership with Enoch Pratt Library to offer health care; the Graduate School’s new MS in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership; UMB’s sustainability efforts to install beehives; and much, much more!
Photo: Aza Shiao, a University of Maryland School of Dentistry student who tutored in the fall. Photo by Matthew D’Agostino