As a second-grader, Amed spent more time in the principal’s office than in class. One day, as part of an assignment in the Reading Team’s After-School Program, the eight-year-old wrote an essay he called The Boy I Wish I Could Be. In it, he describes a boy who bemoans his shortcomings, yet aspires always to pay attention in class, do what’s right, never get sent to the principal’s office, and succeed in school. In writing his story, Amed learned how language, self-expression, and critical thinking can change lives. He ultimately became an honor student at Harlem Success High School. He truly became the boy he depicted, the good kid he always wished he could be.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lujain was an average second-grade student in the Reading Team’s After-School Program. After coming to the Reading Team since kindergarten, she displayed a strong grasp of literacy skills expected for her age, got along with her classmates, and finished the year reading slightly above grade level.

You’re probably expecting a pandemic story where everything goes off the rails. To the contrary, during the 2020-2021 school year, Lujain flourished, becoming an above-average student and a leader of her third-grade class. When the After-School Program switched to virtual mode shortly before Thanksgiving, Lujain didn’t miss a single day of online instruction—quite an accomplishment since her family’s internet could be unstable and her home life was (happily) disrupted thanks to a newborn sister. Lujain says that she loves the Reading Team because her teachers allow her to express herself freely. That comfort likely helped foster her self-confidence and ingenuity. She regularly assisted other students, troubleshooting technical glitches in the virtual classroom. Chris Bueso, her Literacy Coaches, reported that Lujain was a “valuable assistant” in the online delivery of his class. When the program resumed in-person classes at the beginning of April, Lujain continued to make significant gains. The Reading Team is using LightSail, a digital library and reading program, with its older students. LightSail periodically assesses students’ Lexile level (reading level). Lujain’s score rose over 200 points, she logged more than 1,300 minutes read during free time, and she consistently scored high on her assessments. “Lujain, is smart, gregarious, and resourceful,” says Chris, “Nothing is going to stop her from excelling in school or in life—not even a pandemic.”

Ashlie started at the Reading Team in first grade. Her teacher referred her to our After-School Program because she was struggling in school with low literacy skills and challenges in abstract thinking. Our After-School Program was designed specifically for students like Ashlie, and it could not have been a better fit. Ashlie benefited from one-on-one sessions with a reading specialist, innovative early-reading computer activities, lessons in critical thinking, and mindfulness exercises. Like all of our families, Ashlie’s had access to our free book distributions and parent support programs.

Ashlie credits the Reading Team not only for the strong academic foundation that led to her school success but also for imparting to her, by example, values that she lives by today. What Ashlie calls “the heart of the Reading Team” we think of as our culture. Reading Team children are immersed in an environment where they and their ideas are respected and where the values of kindness, responsibility, passion, and perseverance are modeled by our staff.

Ashlie graduated with honors from Harlem Village Academies High School, where she earned an International Baccalaureate Diploma with a 3.97 GPA. She was the captain of the Harlem Vipers Volleyball Team and received the Heritage Leadership Award for exemplifying leadership within and outside of school. Today, she attends the State University of New York at New Paltz. Her goal is to become a lawyer. She is well on her way to fulfilling her dreams and making a lasting difference in the world.