Courtesy photo: Bryan smiling at his tutor Hugo.
Learning to read with joy and the science of reading
By Rayna Dineen
Reading Quest, a Santa Fe nonprofit, is offering free individual one-on-one tutoring sessions this summer for students in grades K-8 who struggle with reading.
It would be hard to exaggerate the importance of being able to read proficiently. This is true for everyone—but especially for students in elementary and middle school. It is estimated that up to 70% of all learning in high school is reading-based. A child who struggles to read by third grade is significantly less likely to graduate high school, with studies showing they are four times more likely to drop out compared to proficient readers. Children who are not reading well by fourth grade are also three times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system than their literate peers.
Currently an estimated 21% of adults in the United States (43 million people) are considered functionally illiterate. For adults, functional illiteracy—meaning difficulty reading and writing at a level sufficient for everyday tasks—can lead to significant drawbacks in employment, health, finances, and overall well-being, resulting in lower income, limited opportunities, and reduced quality of life.
The need for reading support is especially critical in New Mexico. Unfortunately, New Mexico has the lowest reading proficiency of any state, with the most recent national assessment showing that only 20% of our public-school students can read proficiently at grade level.
Everyone at Reading Quest is passionate about providing reading support for all students who need help with reading. We are committed to providing free equitable access to effective reading instruction for all students, empowering them to believe in themselves as they become competent, enthusiastic readers. We strongly believe that all students are capable of learning to read—and loving reading. Parents who can afford private tutors hire them. We want to provide the same level of support for all students, free of cost.
Courtesy photo: Luis with three books.
In 2011, the governor of New Mexico proposed retaining all third-grade students who were not reading at grade level, despite research clearly proving that retaining third graders, especially with the same curriculum and teacher, does not improve their reading. At the time, I was the principal at the Santa Fe School for the Arts and Sciences (the school that I founded in 2000) My middle school students and I created a community-wide literacy campaign, which the students named Hooked on Books. This campaign included city-wide reading contests reaching thousands of students. We also placed free bookshelves in places where low-income families waited with their children like the Income Support Division, the DMV and the hospital emergency room. Our Hooked on Books youth group ended up receiving the Peace Jam Global Call to Action Award and spent a day with a Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee. Another Nobel Peace Laureate, Betty Williams, had tea with our group in Santa Fe and assisted us with one of our Hooked on Books awards ceremonies.
We were also given the opportunity to give a TEDx Talk, and started a summer camp called Reading Is Magic, which is now entering its 14th year.
In 2015, Reading Quest, an offshoot of Hooked on Books, officially became its own nonprofit, and with a handful of reading specialists we started tutoring a small group of students. Now we tutoring close to 500 students each week, with 31 reading specialists tutoring during the school day in the following schools: Santa Fe’s Aspen Community School, Cesar Chavez Elementary school, Sweeney Elementary School and Turquoise Trail Charter School; Taos’s Ranchos and Enos Garcia Elementary schools; Ohkay Owingeh, Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblo Schools, and Rio Gallinas School for Ecology and the Arts in West Las Vegas, in addition to tutoring students after school and Saturdays at our center.
We are especially grateful for our team of reading specialists, teen interns, and tutors who are incredibly skilled at both teaching and connecting with our students. Our Reading Quest team also provides workshops for teachers, parents and tutors. Reading Quest’s team of bilingual tutors are especially skilled at supporting newcomers and teaching English Language Learners. We are very grateful for our teen interns who are part of the Work Based Learning program.
Reading Quest teaches using explicit Structured Literacy, which is an evidence-based practice that adheres to the science of reading. Reading Quest’s approach is grounded in how children develop the ability to read. Research demonstrates that explicit phonics instruction is significantly more effective than non-explicit, or non-phonics instruction, in helping to prevent reading difficulties among at-risk students, and helping children overcome reading difficulties. Reading Quest’s Structured Literacy approach to reading instruction is particularly effective for students at risk for reading difficulties due to a variety of factors (e.g., status as an English Language Learner, and students with learning differences and disabilities.)
Courtesy photo: Lyndsey and Dalyeza.
What makes Reading Quest unique is our highly engaging, multi-sensory curriculum which integrates phonics, American Sign Language, exciting decodable texts, reading games, songs, and multi-sensory resources. The books in our program also reflect the diversity and cultures of our students. Perhaps the most important aspect of our unique approach is that it is really, really fun. Students bond with their tutors and never want their sessions to end.
Our website readingquestcenter.org is full of free support for parents and teachers with teaching videos, book and app suggestions, and much more.
The hour-long sessions this summer will be offered at our center at 509 Camino de los Marquez (next to Zoomies Doggie Day Care) from June 9 to 26 and from July 7 to 31. Students can attend between one and four days each week. Each student will receive professional support in a super fun, engaging way that includes games, great books, stickers, and prizes.
Teachers can refer students using the teacher referral form on our website, and parents can write to readingquestcenter@gmail.com to sign up their child.
We believe all children have the right to learn how to read—and our future depends on it.
Courtesy photo: Hugo and Bryan
Rayna Dineen is the founder and executive director of Reading Quest. She has been an educator for 44 years and feels incredibly lucky to work with the amazing Reading Quest staff, students, and families. They bring her joy every day. Visit readingquestcenter.org to see our teaching videos and lots of reading resources.