WITS Programs

WITS provides a holistic literacy approach to empower students through two distinct program areas: Student Mentorship Programs and Book Ownership Programs. Both are designed to enhance literacy and foster a love of reading, reaching students directly and indirectly through mentorship, classroom support, and book distribution.

The Need
Our Outcomes
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Why WITS Programs Matter

WITS provides a holistic literacy approach to empower students through two distinct program areas: Student Mentorship Programs and Book Granting Programs. Both are designed to enhance literacy and foster a love of reading, reaching students directly and indirectly through mentorship, classroom support, and book distribution.

How well a student engages in back-and-forth communication is a strong predictor of whether a kindergarten student will meet first grade literacy targets.

With the help of their mentors, WITS Kindergarten students practice building book and print awareness, including reading left to right and distinguishing between letters and words.

According to data from The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), based on testing from Spring 2024, only 31% of elementary school students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.

62%

By the end of the 2024-25 school year, 62% of WITS students had met or exceeded the national standard for reading level proficiency in their grade level.

New research emphasizes the need for resources and programs that support students’ emotional well-being, which plays a critical role in their academic success.

100%

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.

Educators agree that schools play an important role in expanding access to books at home, but many teachers have fewer than one hundred and fifty books in their classroom libraries to serve all their students throughout the year—with 31% of teachers having fewer than fifty books.

According to the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), students who have robust classroom libraries are more likely to be frequent readers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), teachers typically spend between $500 and $750 of their own money on classroom supplies each year, which includes books.

Mid-Day Mentoring

Mid-Day Mentoring (MDM) is a program that pairs 2nd—4th grade students with corporate mentors for one-on-one, 45-minute reading sessions at CPS elementary schools. This program promotes fluency and comprehension skills and encourages students to love reading.

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The Rochelle Lee Teacher Award

The Rochelle Lee Teacher Award (RLTA) is a $500 book grant. This award helps teachers further curate their classroom libraries to meet the needs and interests of their students.

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WITS Kindergarten

WITS Kindergarten (WITSK) is a one-on-one reading program that takes place at Chicago public elementary schools. Kindergarten students read with a consistent mentor each week, practicing skills and enjoying stories. WITSK encourages a love of reading and learning.

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WITS Summer Books

WITS Summer Books (WSB) provides students with high-interest, culturally diverse and relevant books at the end of the school year, bolstering their home libraries and helping prevent summer learning loss.

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Workplace Mentoring

WITS Workplace Mentoring (WPM) is a one-on-one after school program that takes place once a week for one hour at downtown offices. Mentors and students build strong relationships through facilitated activities, reading out loud, and working on students’ homework.

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Our Outcomes

According to data from The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), based on testing from Spring 2024, only 31% of elementary school students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.

62%
By the end of the 2024-25 school year, 62% of WITS students had met or exceeded the national standard for reading level proficiency in their grade level.
80%
80% of WITS-K teachers reported their students had developed specialized reading interests throughout the year, an increase of more than 44% from the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.​
91%
91% of WITS students reported having positive attitudes towards reading at the end of the 2024-25 school year, up from 73% at the beginning of the year.
94%
At the end of the 2024-25 school year, an across-program average of 94% of WITS students reported feeling good or very good about spending time with their mentors.​

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