Keep curiosity alive 〰️
Why this literacy intervention matters
Real talk:
Check out the data that informs our approach
“True school transformation begins when we stop asking, ‘What’s wrong with kids?’
and start building from what makes them curious.”
Words in the Wild develops well-trained tutors through the Teaching Fellowship and delivers high-impact tutoring.
The effects of high-impact tutoring can’t be overstated. Not only does it accelerate learning and help students catch up to grade-level peers, but it also increases attendance rates (2), and works at a large-scale (3).
Two hitches: tutors need to be well-trained, and it costs money to train people. Which leads up to the second way Words in Wild’s Teaching Fellowship helps.
Less than a third of students are reading at grade level (1)
Quick aside: What’s high impact tutoring? (4)
Tutoring that takes place in small groups, 3+ times a week for 10+ consecutive weeks, with a well-trained tutor during the school day and aligns with the school’s curriculum.
Only 25% of teachers say they feel prepared to teach students to read (5)
Words in the Wild sends those teachers on into the wider world, contributing a tutor-to-teacher pipeline through the Teaching Fellowship.
Unfortunately, giving every struggling reader a well-trained tutor isn’t sustainable. We need classroom teachers equipped to deliver high-quality literacy instruction.
Enter the tutor-to-teacher pipeline. Here’s how it works:
Tutors receive specialized training for literacy, learn to apply data-informed decisions, and deliver responsive instruction for each student while building experience instructing an array of complex learners.
Students reach ambitious learning goals (every hour of tutoring results in significant increases in both reading and writing skills).
Repeat. After hundreds of hours tutoring, these professionals are well-equipped to confidently enter the classroom, filling the gaps that have been created by decades of teacher shortages.
Training in which teachers have the opportunity to apply their learned knowledge and skills under expert guidance produced the largest growth in teacher knowledge.(6)
Words in the Wild offers an interdisciplinary approach to literacy, supercharged by Teaching Fellows.
Direct student programs and training for teachers focus on evidence-based instruction that removes stigma and repairs kids’ relationships with reading and learning. And when Fellows and staff frame literacy through the world of science, nature, and community, children become invested and successful.
The impact of this goes beyond improving reading level. Extremely absent students increase attendance by 2.8 days when tutoring is a regular part of their classroom experience and students earn higher grades in other courses, too. (9) (10)
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Make a one time donation
All contributions matter, from $1 - $10,000 (and beyond!). A one-time donation supports a current Teaching Fellow.
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Sponsor a Teaching Fellow
Recurring donations let us know “we can count on this for a sustained period of time,” ensuring support beyond 2026.
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Spread the word
Sharing this campaign with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors helps more than we can say.
Keep curiosity alive.
