Building Communities.
Empowering Readers.
WITS is the largest provider of literacy enrichment programming and corporate partnerships in Chicago Public Schools, delivering free programs that support both students and teachers.
WITS Mission, Vision, & Values
WITS Mission
WITS believes that literacy is the foundation on which all other learning develops. Our mission is to empower Chicago elementary students to discover themselves through reading while developing foundational literacy skills. We do this by creating community through literacy-based mentorship, enabling teachers to further curate their classroom libraries, and promoting book ownership at home.
WITS Vision
WITS creates opportunities for every student in Chicago to be literate.
WITS Values
- Consistency
- Community
- Empowerment
What We Are About
Who We Are
WITS is the largest provider of literacy enrichment programming and activator of corporate partnerships in Chicago Public Schools. WITS is comprised of over 80 Chicago elementary schools, over 30 Chicago companies, and a network of hundreds of students, teachers, and volunteers.
What We Do
WITS offers a unique model, providing corporate engagement opportunities for Chicago companies through weekly literacy-based mentorship programs. By pairing students with dedicated mentors, WITS offers consistent, personalized support, transforming students' attitudes toward reading and positively impacting their academic success and emotional well-being. WITS programs are responsive to the needs of students and educators, with a focus on providing enriching literacy experiences rather than prescriptive tutoring. Annually, WITS provides over 10,000 brand-new, culturally specific books to Chicago students' at-home libraries and Chicago teachers' classroom libraries.
Why We Do It
-
- Only 41% of students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.
- Functioning libraries are found in only 21% of CPS elementary schools. As a result, most of the district’s over 300,000 students rely on classroom libraries for reading material.
- 70% of CPS students come from low-income families, and 61% of low-income families have no age-appropriate children’s books at home.
- Only 41% of students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.
- Functioning libraries are found in only 21% of CPS elementary schools. As a result, most of the district’s over 300,000 students rely on classroom libraries for reading material.
- 70% of CPS students come from low-income families, and 61% of low-income families have no age-appropriate children’s books at home.
Our Impact
0
Books
Each year, WITS gives over 10,000 books to students and teachers to build libraries. This initiative directly addresses the book-ownership gap affecting low-income families.
0
Students
WITS impacts the lives of over 4,500 students annually through mentorship and book ownership programs.
0
Mentors
WITS activates over 400 mentors annually in our corporate engagement programs and volunteer opportunities.
0
Grants
WITS offers 100 grants to Chicago Public School teachers annually, enabling them to purchase books for their classroom libraries that cater to their students' interests.
0
Companies
WITS facilitates literacy-based mentorship programs for over 30 Chicago companies, providing meaningful and consistent corporate engagement opportunities.
0
Schools
WITS programs are found in over 70 public schools in Chicago.
According to data from The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), based on testing from 2025, only 41% of students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.
By the end of the school year, 62% of WITS students met or exceeded the national reading proficiency standard, a significant increase from 40% at the start of the year.
85% of WITS-K teachers reported their students had developed specialized reading interests throughout the year, an increase of more than 36% from the beginning of the school year.
87% of WITS students reported having positive attitudes towards reading at the end of the school year, up from 67% at the beginning of the year.
At the end of the school year, an across-program average of 97% of WITS students reported feeling good or very good about spending time with their mentors.
Why WITS Programs Matter
WITS creates community through literacy-based mentorship, enabling teachers to build diverse classroom libraries, and promoting book ownership at home.
According to data from The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), based on testing from 2025, only 41% of students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.
By year’s end, 62% of WITS students read at or above grade-level, nearly double the rate of 37% for all students at WITS schools.
One hundred percent of our partner teachers are satisfied with student participation in WITS. Teachers value that our programs promote a love of reading and support social-emotional development in students.
Every year the WITS Rochelle Lee Teacher Award (RLTA) provides 100 CPS teachers with $500 book grants to curate diverse classroom libraries, ensuring students can access engaging books year-round.
The WITS Summer Books initiative raises funds to send WITS students home with a set of brand-new books for the summer. At WITS, we don’t just give any books; we give books that reflect Chicago’s unique student population, which is almost 90% students of color.
