For the third year in a row, Reading Recovery® in Sarasota County Schools has outpaced the national average of success for this widely respected literacy program. A report produced by The Ohio State University, which evaluates all Reading Recovery® implementations across the country, found that 80 percent of Sarasota County first-graders who completed the program last year reached or exceeded grade-level standards in reading and writing. Nationally, that rate averages about 75 percent, according to the report.

Reading Recovery® is a school-based early intervention designed to bring first-grade students’ ability to read and write within the grade-level standard. The program’s model of intensive, one-on-one tutoring targets students who struggle the most, helping them quickly catch up to their classmates and putting them on a new trajectory for future success. Long-running study of the program also has shown that students maintain their gains in later years and perform well on standardized tests.

Reading Recovery® was introduced to Sarasota County Schools in 2015 with philanthropic support from Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Keith D. Monda family. The initiative has since been scaled district-wide thanks to generous contributions from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and investment by the Sarasota County School Board as well as funding from additional Gulf Coast donors. While 203 Sarasota County students successfully completed a full series of Reading Recovery® lessons last year, an additional 1,320 students directl benefitted through ancillary instruction provided by dedicated Reading Recovery® teachers in each school.