A letter from WITS CEO, Tena Latona
2024 Annual Report
Greetings WITS supporters,
Unfortunately, too many individuals never get that opportunity.
All of this has led me to reflect on the power of WITS. Our ability to make connections between people and stories changes lives.
That single statistic holds multitudes. It tells a story of missed opportunities, inequity, and social disconnection. It is not only about reading books, it’s about being able to apply for a job, understand a rental agreement, engage in civic discourse, and follow a multi-faceted news story. Gallup and the Barbara Bush Foundation estimated that low adult literacy costs the U.S. up to $2.2 trillion a year. The gap starts early.
Chicago Public School Students
31% of Chicago public school students met reading standards in 2024.
WITS Students
By the end of the school year, 71% of WITS students had met or exceeded the national standard for reading level proficiency in their grade.
Our Mission
In 2024 WITS
Our Student Programs
WITS Kindergarten
WITS Kindergarten (WITSK) pairs Kindergarten students with community mentors for weekly reading sessions.
Mid-Day Mentoring
Mid-Day Mentoring (MDM) pairs 2nd—4th grade students with corporate mentors for one-on-one, 45-minute reading sessions at CPS elementary schools.
Workplace Mentoring
Workplace Mentoring (WPM) brings 4th through 6th Grade students to corporate offices for weekly after-school mentorship sessions.
In 2024, our students and mentors continued to show up—together. WITS programs prioritized relationship-building and literacy development at a time when our schools were still grappling with the fallout of the pandemic and an increasingly under-resourced educational system.
So we leaned into it, recognizing that every student comes with their own context, history, and learning journey. Mentors were prepared not just to help students read but to help them feel seen, supported, and empowered. In some schools, mentors welcomed newly arrived migrant students—offering not just books in Spanish, but presence, patience, and connection. In a world where so many systems fall short, that kind of consistent relationship matters more than ever.
What Our Partner Teachers Say
“The kids were always so excited when it was WITS day and they got to see their mentors. The one-on-one time was priceless. It's exactly what kids need to feel heard and cherished."
- Natalie Stellato, Chicago Public School Teacher, Hibbard Elementary
"WITS is an amazing program. It's always been a favorite program for the students. They are all reading and very much involved with their mentors. They feel so special."
- Leticia Sanchez McClellan, Chicago Public School Teacher, McClellan Elementary
Our Teacher Programs
WITS continued to adapt to what teachers need most: books.
As classroom budgets tightened, WITS made the decision to offer our Rochelle Lee Teacher Award solely as a classroom library grant. This change allowed us to serve more teachers and, in many schools, build the only functioning library available to students.
We listened. We acted. And we placed thousands of books into the hands of those shaping the minds of the next generation.
What Our Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardees Say
“The books that I purchased with my WITS funds have been read, discussed, and written about by my students. They have increased my student’s understanding not only of reading, but also of important cross-curricular topics. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue finding books that excite my students and foster their lifelong love of reading!" - Diana Zurawski, Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardee
Our Strategic Plan
In 2024, we took a major step by completing a 12-month engagement with Marzano Research, a leading education evaluation firm. This first-of-its-kind partnership for WITS focused on identifying what components of our mentorship model are most effective in driving literacy outcomes—and how we can refine our approach to foster not just stronger readers, but joyful ones.
Their findings confirmed what we see every day:
WITS excels in building meaningful mentor-mentee relationships and in cultivating positive reading attitudes—a core component of lasting literacy growth.
But their research also gave us room to grow. The evaluation recommended enhancing our program activity design and assessment protocols to better target foundational literacy skills, especially fluency and comprehension. In response, the WITS Program Team got to work.
Over the summer, we began developing a set of Fluency and Comprehension Activity Libraries, curated specifically to support students during their mentorship sessions. We also built a 24-month tactical roadmap for implementation, evaluation, and iteration.
At the core of this new approach is the Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessment tool—a simple but powerful method widely used by reading professionals to measure speed, accuracy, and comprehension. ORF provides a clear snapshot of where students are in their reading journey, and will allow WITS to better tailor support and track meaningful growth.
This work—deep, collaborative, and evidence-based—marks a new chapter in our strategic vision. Moving forward, WITS will continue to build coherence across all program components, including:
Structure and goal-setting
Mentor training and support
Student growth measurement
As we approach the final year of our strategic plan in 2025, we are more prepared than ever to double down on our mission: empowering students to discover themselves through reading while ensuring they develop the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Our Blackboard Affair
In November, we welcomed WITS supporters to our annual Blackboard Affair, a night of community, storytelling, and shared purpose. This year’s keynote speaker was Latoya Lyons, Principal at William H. Brown Elementary School, who spoke movingly about what WITS has meant to her school—and to her, personally.
Latoya shared how, as a child, reading became her escape and her strength during chaotic times. Today, as a principal, she sees that same spark of transformation in her students thanks to their partnership with WITS and McDermott, Will & Emery mentors.
Kindergarteners saw 122% growth in reading—especially in phonics.
Third graders achieved the highest reading proficiency across their grade band.
Thank you
At WITS, we continue to provide all four. Being literate isn’t just a personal milestone—it’s a social contract. When a child learns to read, they gain more than vocabulary. They gain a voice.
If you’re interested in learning more about this transformative work, we’d love to talk. It’s an exciting time to be part of WITS.
Because in a world full of noise, reading is how we understand each other.
And understanding each other is how we change the world.
Thank you for standing with WITS in 2024. Thank you for believing that reading matters. Thank you for showing up—for our students, our teachers, and our city.
With gratitude,
Tena Latona
CEO, Working in the Schools (WITS)
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