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Reading Partners Twin Cities seeks volunteer reading tutors
All tutoring materials, lessons and training will be provided by Reading Partners.
ST PAUL, Minn — For almost 25 years, Reading Partners has partnered with schools and community organizations to provide K-5 students with 1-on-1 tutoring.
The national nonprofit has served the Twin Cities area for nearly a decade, and local executive director Brooke Rivers says tutoring is urgently needed here because statewide reading rates are still lower than they were before the pandemic.
“Our [Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment] scores for 2023 showed that just under 50% of students were reading at grade level,” Rivers said.
Last school year, the organization tutored more than 300 kids, with each student getting at least 12 sessions.
Rivers says the extra help worked, as 80% of all kids tutored last year reached their reading goals, and 91% of K-2 graders meeting their grade level benchmarks by the end of the year.
But the tutors are volunteers, and although more than 400 people are signed up this year, Rivers says at least a couple hundred more are needed now.
“We want to make sure that what we’re doing is actually making a meaningful difference for students, and if students are enrolled too much after February, there’s just not enough time in the year for them to get that meaningful impact,” she said.
Reading Partners Twin Cities aims to add 50 tutoring sessions by the end of the month, with the goal of reaching its highest student enrollment since the start of the pandemic.
“The more volunteers we can get in the door, the more students we can serve,” Rivers said.
Eligible applicants must be at least 14 years old, and no experience is required. Volunteers must pass a background check and complete a required orientation. The time commitment is a little over 1 hour per week, with in-person sessions occurring Mon-Thurs between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“You don’t need to come up with, ‘oh gosh we’re introducing the ‘ph’ sound. What words would I use? How would I introduce it?’ It’s all scripted out right there for the tutor,” Rivers said. “Instead of wringing your hands and saying, ‘What are we going to do? Those poor teachers,’ you can actually take a step forward and make an impact.”
Those interested in tutoring can sign up to volunteer here, or email volunteertc@readingpartners.org.
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Police said the 7-year-old victim was skateboarding on Saturday night.
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The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
MINNETONKA, Minn. — Officials have closed the westbound lanes of US Highway 12 starting at I-494 in Minnetonka after a collision occurred on Saturday night.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 511 Map, the road is closed and there was a “serious crash,” on the highway.
The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
“It’s amazing how well and good the people are helping out,” volunteer Connie Guinn said.
ELK PARK, N.C. — It’s still difficult for Mike Ellenburg to see the damage Helene left in Elk Park, North Carolina.
“Never in my lifetime, no I have not,” Ellenburg, Fire Chief at the Elk Park Volunteer Fire Department, said. “We had to bring in heavy equipment and open the road up.”
The storm left homes destroyed, trees toppled and cars flipped. It’s left roads near rivers and creeks nearby unrecognizable.
“Used to be a paved road, houses on both sides,” he said. “They’re gone.”
“You’ll see some vehicles down here that are sideways, and they’ll have spray paint on ’em,” Ellenburg continued. “Marking that that vehicle has been checked and that nobody was inside of it or around it.”
Ellenburg says he believes there are four areas around Elk Park in a similar state, damaged and difficult to get into. Despite that, help is still coming, both from the town and the rest of the state.
“We’re just trying to get it organized,” Connie Guinn, a volunteer said, standing in front of pallets of food and water. “Because we can’t find nothing, and neither can anybody else.”
Donations have continued to arrive at the Elk Park Volunteer Fire Department. Ellenburg says some have even come from around the country.
Other agencies, like the Dallas, North Carolina volunteer fire department, have also arrived to help where they can.
“It’s amazing how well and good the people are helping out,” Guinn said.
Ellenburg says it will take time to rebuild their community, but it’s made easier to get through with neighbors like theirs.
“I would only say that I don’t want to live anywhere else but here in Avery County, North Carolina,” he said.
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