The lead picture on the front page of this Sunday’s New York Times is a group of kindergartners sitting on the floor of their classroom holding up tiny dry-erase boards … Read More
Building Community In the City and The Office
Building Community Working in the Schools (WITS) is the largest volunteer corps providing yearlong mentorship to Chicago Public School elementary students. The cornerstone of WITS student mentorship programs is their … Read More
“WITS builds foundational literacy skills” – WITS CEO Tena Latona
For the last three and a half years I have been the CEO of WITS and I have been proud to support the WITS staff in creating opportunities for every … Read More
Back to the Office and Back to the Classroom: How WITS Creates Community across Chicago’s Neighborhoods
For 791 days (give or take what you will) we have been working in some form of professional athleisure; repurposing surfaces in our home normally reserved for eating or sleeping … Read More
WITS Beginnings: A Story from Founding Volunteer Ginny Carlson
Editor’s note: Ginny and Roger Carlson are long-time WITS supporters and volunteers. As WITS CEO Tena Latona espoused in 2020, “As the CEO of an organization you hope for Board … Read More
A Letter from WITS CEO, Tena Latona
Community and Consistency, Now More than Ever Hello WITS Community, As you may know, students have been experiencing a lot of change since winter break. The surge in COVID-19 cases … Read More
A Note from the Daughter of WITS Co-founder, Joanne Alter
As a current board member and the daughter of WITS co-founder, Joanne Alter, I am admittedly biased, but I am continually impressed with the organization’s welcoming approach to change. I … Read More
WITS – The largest provider of literacy programming
WITS began in a single classroom in 1991. Today we are the largest provider of literacy programming to teachers and students in Chicago Public Schools. There was a moment over … Read More
WITS began in a single classroom in 1991
WITS began in a single classroom. When founders, Joanne Alter and Marion Stone, asked a neighborhood educator what they could do to most benefit her students, the answer was simple: … Read More
What Our Students Need Is Us
Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third largest school district in the country, is just about one month into the 2021 – 2022 school year. Students have returned to classrooms after … Read More
