Kid Power is confronting the significant academic needs of local youth attending Title 1 DC Public Schools. The barriers students face in these schools showcase the inequities within our region and the challenges students must overcome.

• Low-income students lost 6 months of grade level equivalency in reading over remote learning during the pandemic.

• 69% are not meeting grade-level requirements for English Language Arts (ELA).
• 33% of African-American students tested at proficiency while 88% of white students tested at proficiency in ELA. Students of color and lower income consistently score lower than their white counterparts which perpetuate economic barriers.

Kid Power’s newest program was piloted at Stanton Elementary School in Ward 8 to provide 2nd – 5th grade students with additional academic support to combat learning loss accrued during remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The High Impact Tutoring (HIT) program is a 22 week program that incorporates 90 minutes of reading comprehension, literacy tutoring, and social-emotional support. Students work in groups of no more than 1:3 staff-to-student ratio each week to increase their reading comprehension and literacy skills using the Leveled Literacy Intervention curriculum. Student progress is measured by bi-weekly assessments to track reading competency increases along with regular feedback from students and tutors to increase program engagement and satisfaction.

Evidence-Based Program Model

Students participating in the program will receive daily Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) supports grounded in research and best practices. Kid Power utilizes the following methods to provide further evidence for promising outcomes.

• Leveled Literacy Intervention: reading, fluency, and comprehension support using leveled texts paired with research-based phonics, comprehension, and writing instruction.
• Goal Setting & Tracking: students set their own academic and social/behavioral goals and engage in tracking activities. Students who see success in their writing goals have a higher level of self-efficacy.