WITS Workplace Mentoring
WITS Workplace Mentoring 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.
Why Workplace Mentoring is Important
90% of WITS Workplace Mentoring (WPM) students agreed that they were more open to reading new types of books after participating in the WPM program year.
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.
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.
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.
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% 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.
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.
Get Involved
Program Facilitators
