Tutoring Program Boosts Reading Skills Among Denver Kindergarteners
In a remarkable turnaround, kindergarten reading scores have soared at a Denver school, thanks to a tutoring initiative involving local fathers from the students’ bilingual community.
LAUREN FRAYER, HOST: Tutoring can be an effective tool for enhancing students’ reading skills, but a Denver school’s experience suggests that tutors from the same community as students can make an even bigger difference. Reporting for Colorado Public Radio, Jenny Brundin shares insights from the program.
GABRIEL MARTINEZ: Bom-pa-da bom-bom (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Bah-bah (ph).
JENNY BRUNDIN, BYLINE: Tutor Gabriel Martinez engages students with word cards featuring the letter G.
MARTINEZ: Everybody, can you practice the guh (ph) sound with me? Everybody say, guh.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Guh.
MARTINEZ: Guh. Very good.
BRUNDIN: Despite their youthful energy, three first graders remain focused on Martinez, who is both a tutor and a parent at the school.
GABRIEL MARTINEZ AND UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Jig.
MARTINEZ: Oh, hold on. Did you hear you, Esaie (ph)? You had that Jim. It’s jig-uh (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Jig-uh.
MARTINEZ: There’s something very natural and paternal that I feel towards all of the kids.
BRUNDIN: Known for his friendly demeanor, Martinez is not just a tutor but a father to students at the school, including his own daughter.
MARTINEZ: She walks by multiple times a day (laughter). She has this uncanny ability to need to visit somebody for some reason.
BRUNDIN: With a middle schooler also at the school, Martinez is one of several literacy tutors from the Latino Ruby Hill neighborhood, most of whom are parents. This concept of parents serving as tutors is inspired by the Oakland Liberator Model, focusing on empowering local communities. The tutors work with children reading below grade level in small groups.
MARTINEZ: I am so invested in this place succeeding because my own kids are here.
BRUNDIN: Some tutors see this as a pathway to a career in teaching. Samy Alkaihal, the program manager at Rocky Mountain Prep Ruby Hill, notes the unique connection parents have with students.
SAMY ALKAIHAL: They knew our kids better than we did.
BRUNDIN: And…
ALKAIHAL: The kiddos knowing that you are their friend’s mom or you are their friend’s dad gets them a lot more engaged.
BRUNDIN: Rocky Mountain Prep hired 22 tutors in January. During training, a group from Ruby Hill, mostly dads, became known as the Ruby Hill Boyz.
ALKAIHAL: And then now we have Setlali (ph) in the mix, and they’re called the Ruby Boyz and Fedy girl.
BRUNDIN: Fedy, short for federal, refers to the middle school upstairs where a female tutor works. Meanwhile, primary students are benefiting from this personalized attention.
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ TORRES: Can you both say the word Ron?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Ron.
LOPEZ TORRES: Ron.
BRUNDIN: Christian Lopez Torres, another tutor, is working on the letter O with third-graders. He believes his background enhances his tutoring effectiveness.
LOPEZ TORRES: I know their backgrounds. I know everything. They’re just like me when I was, like, their age.
I didn’t know much English, and I always felt excluded from everything. I felt like my teachers didn’t pay attention to me.
BRUNDIN: His father’s welding work often takes him to the same apartments where many students live, deepening his understanding of their challenges.
LOPEZ TORRES: And I see many of the kids I tutor there. They live there. So I know the struggle of having immigrant parents and not learning English and feeling like an outsider at some points. And my main goal was to, like, fix that. I want them to have someone – an adult – they feel comfortable around.
BRUNDIN: Even a simple greeting in Spanish can make a difference.
LOPEZ TORRES: Like a relief for them – oh, like, I can speak Spanish with them. You know what I mean?
BRUNDIN: Initially training to be a nurse, Lopez Torres found his calling in education. He walks us through the curriculum, showing enthusiasm for teaching sounds and reading.
LOPEZ TORRES: Let’s see. K sounds.
BRUNDIN: Christian, as you’re going through this, I can tell you’re enthusiastic. You really like it.
LOPEZ TORRES: Yeah. I love this. I love this. Every morning, I’m like, oh, my God, I can’t wait to get to work.
BRUNDIN: Third-grader Katia Fortonel appreciates the focused learning environment away from larger classrooms.
KATIA FORTONEL: When we have to shout out something, like, we get confused.
BRUNDIN: The results are promising.
KATIA: Now I got to a higher score in my reading things, and now I can read big books.
BRUNDIN: The program has led to significant improvements.
MARTINEZ: Everybody, get your markers out. Get ready to underline.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Underline.
MARTINEZ: Underline.
BRUNDIN: Gabriel Martinez highlights that one nine-week session resulted in a year and a half of reading advancement for some students, with notable progress in kindergarten.
MARTINEZ: OK. Does the first word on the first line – does that follow our short-I pattern?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: No.
MARTINEZ: Literacy is justice. Everybody deserves to be able to read.
BRUNDIN: Martinez shares how this role has influenced him personally and professionally.
MARTINEZ: Working with other people’s children in a professional capacity has actually helped me personally, as a parent, grow as a father.
BRUNDIN: Inspired by the role, Martinez is now pursuing education to become a special education teacher.
For NPR News, I’m Jenny Brundin in Denver.
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