Florida Reading Corps essential to putting brakes on learning losses during COVID crisis | Opinion

We’re weeks into the staggered reopening of schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and both districts continue to offer students in-person and remote learning.

However, what’s really staggering is the toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on our students. The ongoing disruptions to school schedules and need for distance learning because of the COVID-19 crisis are projected to result in significantly higher learning loss than past years.

It is critical that we respond to the needs of the districts through a virtual tutoring program, such as that offered by Florida Reading Corps. This AmeriCorps program, currently in place at 37 sites in Broward and Miami-Dade, has proven to be highly effective in closing the education gap, helping students gain skills for success in school and beyond.

It’s especially critical to implement programs like this for our students, for these are the years when the foundation for reading and lifelong learning is laid. Reading Corps uses specially trained tutors, 43 this school year, who provide daily tutoring to improve the literacy skills of children who need it most. This targeted and measurable instruction has led to greater student achievement.

An external impact evaluation conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that preschool students who participated in Florida Reading Corps achieved significantly higher end-of-year scores on early literacy skills than students at similar schools who did not participate in the program:

• By the end of just one semester, 4- and 5-year-old Reading Corps students met or exceeded targets for kindergarten readiness in five key measures, while students in non-participating classrooms did so in only one area.

• Reading Corps is helping close the achievement gap. Students of color, students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and English-language learners are achieving outcomes equal to or better than their peers.

• Reading Corps students are two to three times less likely to need special education, saving the state and schools money.

Reading Corps has helped more than 300,000 students in more than a dozen states since its inception in 2003. Tutors serve from one to four years and receive a small monthly stipend and educational scholarship for themselves, or if over 55, for a child or grandchild. For many, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

We cannot stress enough what a critical time this is for our students. Our tutors have the option of providing virtual or in-person tutoring depending on the needs of their sites. Florida Reading Corps is more important than ever for our students’ academic achievement. To learn more — and to help — visit www.floridareadingcorps.org.

Our children deserve no less.

Shevrin Jones is executive director of Florida Reading Corps and a Democratic state senator. He represents Florida’s 35th Senate District. Vance Aloupis is CEO of the Children’s Movement and a Republican state representative. He represents Florida’s 115th House District.

This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 5:11 PM.