Enlace School's IREAD Scores Soar with Marian University Partnership

Enlace School's IREAD scores have seen a significant increase of over 19% since partnering with Marian University. The partnership, which focuses on literacy techniques through the science of reading, has been instrumental in improving student performance.

"The science of reading is really helping out kids. I think they are showing a lot of progress and growth as we saw last year and our kids are feeling confident in themselves because they have that curriculum that's helping them build that confidence,” Lyric Jones, a 3rd-grade teacher at Enlace School, said.

Third-grade teacher Lyric Jones attributes the success to the science of reading approach. "Even after the first year of implementation, teachers were coming up to me and saying you'll never believe the success that my kids are having,” Lauren Perkins, the reading specialist at Enlace, said. “They are spelling they are reading this unlike anything we have ever seen."

Parent involvement at home has also played a crucial role in the progress. Fourth-grader Lilian shared her family's experience, saying "When I was first reading, my mom said I needed to try harder.. and that if I try harder, it's going to get better and then I just started to read good.”

Marian University is expanding its Riverside Innovation Education District (REID) initiative, which Enlace School is a part of. Chris Creighton, vice president of innovation and growth at Marian University, emphasized the importance of literacy in the program, saying "We chose literacy as a key initiative as part of the project because it's something that we do well in partnership with the schools. It's a key metric of how students will do not only in their K-12 experience but throughout their lifetime."

The LaRue Carter Veterans Administration Hospital will serve as the hub for literacy resources, providing access to educational materials and support for the northwest-side community.