Hoot Reading and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) launched a pilot program in 2024 with two other tutoring providers, as part of the Strong Readers Initiative. The goal was to address one of the most critical educational challenges: literacy proficiency among students in Oakland, CA. With a boost in funding from Eat. Learn. Play., the program will expand in the 2024/2025 school year. Hoot Reading will be offered in four additional OUSD schools, totaling ten, providing one-on-one literacy tutoring for 490 students.
According to the Eat. Learn. Play. report, Advancing Literacy Efforts in Oakland: Perspective From the Field, 2022/2023 assessment scores showed that, "Entering the 4th grade, 1 out of 3 students in OUSD were reading three grades below grade level. For Black and Latino students, the share was over 40 percent." It was clear that something needed to be done, and the wheels were set in motion to build a new program to advance literacy in the district. This program focused on supporting struggling readers and improving their literacy skills through engaging, assessment-informed, high-dosage instruction.
Since January 2024, Hoot Reading's involvement in the pilot program has yielded remarkable results, benefitting 168 students across six OUSD schools. Each student has received personalized, one-on-one online literacy tutoring lessons with Hoot Reading three times per week over 17 weeks. Students enrolled in the program showed significant improvements in reading proficiency, as demonstrated by diagnostic and summative assessments. Three-quarters of pilot students initially needed help with Kindergarten-level reading skills. By the end of one tutoring cycle, the number of students proficient in these skills had more than doubled. Additionally, less than 10% of students were initially proficient in Grade 1 skills. After one tutoring cycle, the proficiency rate for Grade 1 skills also doubled. Overall, 97% of students showed improvement in at least one Word-Reading skill, with the average improvement being 28%.
The Strong Readers initiative is a citywide effort led by OUSD in collaboration with partners such as the Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland REACH, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Eat. Learn. Play. The initiative aims to ensure literacy for all third-grade students through a comprehensive, tiered approach to instruction. Hoot Reading's involvement in the Tier 3 Literacy Intervention pilot program aligns with its mission to provide high-quality literacy support to students who need it most.
Due to the program's initial success, a funding injection of $25 million from Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play., and support from their partner Workday, the program will expand to provide approximately 10,000 elementary students with literacy tutoring over the next five years.
“Offering one-on-one high-dosage tutoring to our students in Oakland is an unprecedented opportunity for OUSD,” said former OUSD Director of Early Literacy (PK-2) Academics and Instruction, Romy Trigg-Smith. “We're thrilled with the level of support Hoot is providing to so many students who need this extra support. Our students are excited to form trusting relationships with skilled educators who provide the tailored instruction they need to break the code and read fluently. We're proud of our pilot with Hoot and two other providers and the ability to expand in the 24/25 school year thanks to the generous support of the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.”
"I am incredibly proud of the impact our partnership with OUSD, through the Strong Reader’s initiative, has had on literacy outcomes in the district," said Maya Kotecha, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Hoot Reading. "Together, we're empowering students to become proficient readers and unlocking a world of opportunities. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting the literacy journey of more Oakland students."
To learn more about Hoot Reading's mission to transform children’s literacy, please visit www.hootreading.com.
About Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 77 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness, and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career, and community success. To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit www.ousd.org and follow us @OUSDnews.
About Hoot Reading
Hoot Reading is the leading online tutoring service providing 1:1, evidence-based literacy instruction with qualified teachers. Incubated on a research project at the Nokia Research Lab with Sesame Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street) and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Hoot Reading partners with school districts across North America to change children’s lives through literacy.
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