reading

Each summer, when school lets out, children fall behind in reading. Research shows that students lose one to two months of reading proficiency over the summer. For struggling readers or children with learning disabilities, the losses can be even greater.

According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, reading scores for American students have hit a new low. 

Summer reading is an excellent way to keep students engaged with books and literacy skills.

All across the Midlands, volunteer reading tutors meet students at public libraries, parks and other locations to help them improve their reading. The students are not in school, however. They are adults who, through a variety of circumstances, never learned to read well. The volunteer tutors are matched with learners by Turning Pages, a nonprofit organization formerly known as the Greater Columbia Literacy Council, that helps adults who have low levels of reading skills.