Working In The Schools

Mid-day mentoring: mid-day mentoring is a school day literacy and mentoring program that pairs elementary school students and business volunteers for one-on-one, 45 minute reading sessions. Mid-day mentoring promotes foundational literacy skills and love of reading through reading aloud, sharing favorite stories, and talking about books.

Rochelle lee teacher award: the rochelle lee teacher award (rlta) is named in honor of rochelle lee, chicago public schools (cps) educator and librarian who inspired generations of students to be impassioned readers. Rochelle lee teacher awardees are cps teachers that embody the same drive as rochelle lee to develop their students into people who will foster a life-long relationship to learning and reading. The competitive essay-based application process draws cps teacher applicants across subject matters in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. Teachers apply either as a potential individual awardee or part of a study group. Teachers may be selected to participate in rlta for a maximum of four years. The first two years can be as an individual participant; the last two must be as a member of a study group. Teachers attend self-selected literacy workshops during wits' summer institute and receive accredited continuing professional development hours for each completed workshop. Once teachers complete the required number of workshop hours, they are awarded book grants to purchase new books for their classroom libraries.

Wits kindergarten: the wits kindergarten ("witsk") program is a one-on-one reading program that takes place at chicago public elementary schools ("cps"). Kindergarten students read with a consistent volunteer each week, which allows volunteers and children to establish a consistent reading rapport and build book print awareness, as well as early literacy skills, over the course of the school year.