Making Sense of Language Arts

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Tutoring photos by Harriet Kaufman

Welcome to Making Sense of Language Arts

Bridging the literacy gap for children from low income settings through individual tutoring provided by trained, caring adults.

makingsenseoflanguagearts@gmail.com

Why Making Sense of Language Arts?

"Thank you for the great work you do with our students and the support you have given the school, staff and me." -Dr. Russo, Principal of Winton Place/Winton Hills Academies for 17 years.

For over twenty years we have taught hundreds of children to read, write and comprehend. All of the children who enter the program begin with below average language arts skills. Each year, 80-100% of the children have left the program with average or better language arts skills. The improvement in expressive ability and letter and word skills is significant, to very significant! Because literacy skills are often a determining factor in school and career success we change their outcomes for a lifetime.

Economics of Human Potential

Investing in quality early learning programs is the most efficient way to affect school and life success and to reduce social expenditures later, according to research by Prof. James Heckman, a Nobel laureate in economics from the University of Chicago. Returns are greatest for the most at-risk children. For that population in particular, quality early learning programs can result in reduced costs later on special education, remedial classes, and even incarceration. Heckman's research also shows early interventions for disadvantaged children "raise the quality of the workforce, enhance the productivity of schools and reduce crime, teenage pregnancy, and welfare dependency. They raise earnings and promote social attachment." Heckman contends, "The real question is how to use available funds wisely. The best evidence supports the policy prescription: Invest in the very young."

We provide:

--Assessment: pre and post testing of all incoming kindergartners

--Training: volunteers & paraprofessionals are trained in multi-sensory techniques that "rewire" the brain

--Curriculum: easy to use lesson plans and support material to guide successful tutoring sessions

--Tutors: compassionate, sensible adults, mostly age 50+ who care about children and their success.

--Results: each of our 20+ years of 24+ sessions per year we have seen 80-100% of the children improve

Bridging the Literacy Gap-Building Bridges Out of Poverty-Bridging Generations