Non-Profit Organization Addresses Literacy Gaps in D.C. Schools

The Claire Aid Foundation works to bridge the literacy gap in Jebbu Miango by hosting after-school classes in a newly created library in the area. About 350 children attend the after-school programs during the week where they’re taught basic grammar. The group also offers summer school programming, where students are taught more vocational skills like bead-making, tailoring, and pastry making.

A South Bronx charter school is trying an innovative approach to educating all students, including the one third of its student body in foster care. By adding teachers, behavioral specialists, and extra academic support and relying on a trauma-informed and repetitive structure, Mott Haven Charter School has gradually seen improvement, with its foster youth outperforming other children in the welfare system.

Custer Elementary School in Washington State transformed from a chaotic, low-performing school into a twice-awarded "Best Public School" by implementing Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, a framework that addresses student needs across three tiers, from schoolwide culture-building to intensive individual interventions. As a result, student survey data showed that 95-97% of students felt safe, included, and cared for, leading to better academic outcomes.

To better serve Black students, Joe Shoemaker Elementary School uses “equity cohorts.” Teachers select four to seven students of color who are reading below grade level and then focus on building relationships with them, helping to nurture their social and academic skills. Over the past two years, they’ve seen improved test scores and reading levels among students who participated.

Books for Keeps works to increase the literacy rate of students by providing them with books to read during the summer when they aren’t at school. Since 2009, Books for Keeps has given away almost 800,000 books. A study by the nonprofit found that students gained almost 17% of a grade level more over the summer than students who didn't participate in Books for Keeps.

Nonprofits Manufacturing Renaissance and Youth Crossroads provide vocational training that Chicago's public schools have largely abandoned, particularly in disinvested communities. Manufacturing Renaissance runs free seven-week metalworking cohorts that include stipends, tools, job placement support, and an alumni network, and has trained more than 1,200 young adults since 1982. Youth Crossroads offers multiple workforce tracks, including HVAC certification and paid internships, and 88% of trade program graduates report feeling prepared to enter the workforce.

Operation Fresh Start is tackling workforce barriers faced by economically disadvantaged young adults through its Legacy program, which combines classroom instruction with hands-on construction and conservation work. Participants receive individualized learning plans, financial stipends and wraparound support to help them stay on track. In 2024, the program helped 36 young adults earn high school diplomas, 32 earn pre-apprenticeship certifications and reported an average three grade-level increase in reading and math among participants.

Multiple hospital systems and health organizations across North Carolina have implemented school-based telehealth programs so students can receive medical and behavioral health care during the school day, making care more accessible. Evidence shows students who participate in the telehealth program see better attendance and academic performance, as well as improvements in their mental health.

The Sebastian Indian Social Projects (SISP) works with socio-economically disadvantaged communities, providing social services like healthcare and employment assistance with a primary focus on educating youth. SISP has focused on educating the local female population, which has helped empower them economically and led to several women receiving jobs outside of their village. SISP has also educated several students who were forced to drop out of traditional school and provides supplementary activities along with their standard education, such as skating and coding clubs.

Back in 1988, Bina Sheth Lashkar, started noticing that students who lived in Slums were dropping out at high rates because they had to work to support their families. So, Bina and her colleague created Door Step School.“If children can’t go to the school, let the school come to them.” What began as a class of 25 students has now evolved to 200 centers in Mumbai and Pune, and a schools-on-wheels project.