Report cards are in!

2020 was a wild ride (to say the least), but we’re excited and proud to share how our programs performed last year, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Although schools were physically closed last year, students in our programs continued learning from home, thanks to the creativity and dedication of the program staff, teachers, principals, and communities. Today, it’s time for us to reflect on 2020 and share our findings with you, the people whose generosity helped make all of this possible!

If you like data as much as we do, scroll down to nerd out with us for a minute!

Spark Reading Program

2020 Totals

Spark trains primary-school teachers in effective reading instruction and provides their class with a library of books.

The Spark Reading Program delivered over 13,800 new children’s books to program schools during the pandemic. Our dedicated Spark teachers then safely distributed books to their students’ homes, ensuring that their promising young students could continue their journeys to becoming lifelong readers, even from home.

Textbook Program

2020 Totals

The Textbook Program provides textbooks to rural middle schools and trains teachers to use them effectively. In 2020, students were able to bring their textbooks home with them at the start of quarantine and continue learning the core subjects of math, science, Spanish language, and social studies from home during the pandemic.

Approximately 500 dedicated teachers and principals from Textbook Program schools joined our online teacher trainings via Zoom! We were delighted by the turnout and excited by the opportunity to train even more teachers at once using this format, compared to in-person training.

Rise Youth Development Program

2020 Totals

The Rise Program identifies promising young students who would otherwise be forced to drop out of school, and gives them the tools to break the cycle of poverty. In addition to providing full academic scholarships, Rise offers comprehensive support services from mentors, counselors, and psychologists, and engages students in workshops, community service, and visits to local businesses and universities that transform the way they think about their futures.

Rise Program staff made over 1,000 phone calls per month to Rise students in their communities, checking in on their physical and mental health, their family’s well-being, and making sure they have the support and tools they need to continue their education successfully during the pandemic.

Computer Centers Program

2020 Totals

Even though 98% of students in the Computer Centers Program don’t have access to a computer or Internet at home, approximately 7 out of 10 schools successfully pivoted their method of teaching the curriculum to reach students at home by sending out physical study guides or teaching through smartphones.