Students thrive when schools prioritize support

In Washington, D.C., where only 27% of Black students read at grade level, the nonprofit Everybody Wins DC launched Power Readers, a program that pairs elementary students with volunteer mentors for weekly one-on-one reading sessions. Operating in six schools, the program allows students to choose their own books, receive personalized attention during lunchtime sessions, and access free, culturally relevant reading materials. J.O. Wilson Elementary recorded more than a 10% increase in literacy rates between 2022 and 2024 after implementing the program.

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.

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.

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.

A North Carolina teacher has had marked success using mastery-based learning techniques, which emphasize skill acquisition over classroom time, in her classroom. She says of the self-directed approach to instruction: "“The mindset is ‘Give students their own data and let them choose what to work on themselves.’" With this setup, the teacher also has extra time to work in smaller groups with struggling students.

Lake Canyon Elementary School in California takes a strength-based approach to instruction - teachers identify students' natural talents and create personalized lessons to encourage the development of these skills. "Focusing on the traits and skills kids don't have can lead them to become disengaged, while focusing on strengths produces greater levels of happiness and engagement at school and higher levels of academic achievement," one psychology professor explains. Teachers discipline by highlighting "a surplus of something good, not a deficiency." Can the expensive, time-intensive model succeed elsewhere?

Should police be law enforcers or social responders? Some leaders say "guardian" duty is at least important as purely law enforcement tasks, sometimes known as "warrior" work. That idea is rooted in centuries-old principles of policing.

As school poverty rates goes up, learning and test scores fall. At Gildo Ray elementary school in Washington state uses a teaching method called director or explicit instruction, in which children learn from a structured approach to teaching with teacher-guided practice. Gildo Ray’s test scores in math and reading are among the highest in the state.

Small rural schools in New Hampshire achieved some of the state's highest reading scores by leveraging their size to create multi-grade classrooms, provide individualized support to all students, and build long-term student-teacher relationships. In result, these lower-income districts have outperformed expectations by the widest margins in the state.

Playworks helps schools use recess as a tool for learning, with structured games and set expectations that teach students how to respect and include others, resolve conflicts, and manage their emotions. Studies show that the program helps reduce bullying while also helping students build skills that make them more successful in the classroom.