The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is collaborating with Hamilton County Schools and the Tennessee Department of Education on a new initiative called Connected Literacy.
The Department of Education is funding the free, 12-week tutoring program, which is open to any HCS student in first, second or third grade who’s reading below grade level and to those who need additional help to stay on track.
All tutors are Hamilton County School educators or tutors who have participated in the Department of Education’s Early Reading Training. Each 30-minute session will focus on skill development and use the Tennessee Foundational Skills Curriculum Supplement.
Tutors will work one-on-one or in small groups with no more than three students to help assess and accomplish individual literacy proficiency goals.
The Urban League’s recent State of Black Chattanooga report notes that only 36.6% of all third grade students in the county have been deemed proficient in reading, with further race-based disparities seen across the county.
Black students in Hamilton County have the lowest literacy proficiency of only 17.2%, followed by a 21.2% proficiency rate for Latinx students.
Registration for Connected Literacy at connectedliteracy.tnedu.gov. There are a limited number of spots.
No documentation is required to enroll a student in the program and the student’s school will work with the parent or guardian through the registration process.
Learn more at www.ulchatt.net or contact Robin Sturnes at 423 756-1762 or rsturnes@ulchatt.net.
Source: Urban League of Greater Chattanooga