Spelman College’s SpelREADS program has adopted innovative strategies to increase the College’s impact on academic success within local K-12 schools and the wider community. Under the leadership of Jilo Tisdale, director of the Bonner Office of Civic Engagement and Co-Curricular Programs (Bonner Office), SpelREADS has grown into a powerful resource, demonstrating Spelman’s role as a champion of educational excellence. By leveraging the interconnected relationship of Spelman and Atlanta Public Schools (APS), the program has significantly expanded its efforts to increase student achievement and advance the academic goals set by the APS.
Since the program’s inception in 2017, there has been exponential growth in the number of trained Spelman participants and the number of APS student participants. According to data from 2022-2023 provided by the Bonner Office, over 395 Spelman students have been trained and delivered literacy instruction, and over 384 APS students have participated, with 7 schools served in the district.
“The true magic of the SpelREADS program lies in the bond between the Spelman tutor and their student. That relationship flourishes over time,” said Tisdale. “Making tutoring more engaging and interactive, students are having fun while they learn, which makes them want to learn more!”
SpelREADS at its origins was designed in direct response to Booker T. Washington High School’s cluster of Atlanta Public Schools’ concern to improve the literacy skills of its students.
To ensure the program’s success, Tisdale regularly meets with school principals to evaluate its effectiveness. Feedback is collected from school partners to assess whether students in the program show greater academic progress compared to those outside it.
This semester, SpelREADS is transitioning work with middle school students at Herman J. Russell West End Academy away from the digital platform and into small group novel studies. Recently, there has been a more proactive approach from the Spelman tutors to help advance middle school students in their literacy skills and foster their love for literacy. The students have become more dedicated to incorporating engaging ways of tutoring, evidenced by the two-day systematic approach they’ve implemented to engage with the students. Each week, on day one, tutors assist students with reading from the novel and focus on strategies for decoding and fluency. On day two, tutors integrate interactive games based on novel content to support comprehension skills and overall understanding.
Dr. Ariana Brazier, C’2016, has served as the SpelREADS Literacy Program manager since 2023. Bringing her expertise in play as a pedagogical tool to her work with the Spelman students serving as SpelREADS tutors, Dr. Brazier teaches them how to use games to keep the younger students actively engaged during tutoring sessions, focused during transitions, and energized even during challenging lessons. This March, elementary school students will visit campus to get an idea of what it’s like at Spelman but most importantly, to see people who look just like them at the same institution that has diligently worked to help them advance academically. The hope of event organizers is that this will help them imagine themselves attending Spelman, or if not Spelman another institution of higher learning.
“The SpelREADS Literacy Program is a true reflection of Spelman’s commitment to, not just be present in the community, but to be a part of the community and actively participate in its growth and development,” said Tisdale.