Education Committee hears presentation about increasing literacy in Birmingham’s schools
During today’s Education Committee meeting, representatives with Better Basics, an organization dedicated to eradicating childhood illiteracy in Alabama, gave a presentation about the work they’ve accomplished in Birmingham over the last year.
In 2019 and 2020, Better Basics served 21,987 students in 35 Central Alabama schools.
Because of impact that COVID-19 has had on learning, organizations like Better Basics have helped step in and partner with organizations an school systems to help ensure that reading and math retention levels are not negatively impacted by the switch to virtual learning.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Better Basics worked to put books into the hands of Birmingham’s underserved children through stellar projects such as Books for Birmingham (9,500 new books collected and distributed) and Book Nooks (similar to Little Free Libraries).
Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, who chairs the Education Committee, said the Council is committed to helping recruit volunteers to help mentor students in the program.
“Perhaps one of the silver linings on this public health crisis is that the pivot to digital learning could allow for more people be engaged,” O’Quinn said. “The information you presented showed that your program can have a definitive impact on learning outcomes. And I’m sure we can do even more with additional volunteers.”
Councilor Clinton Woods, who has partnered with Better Basics for learning initiatives in District 1, highlighted the success that students have had with the reading and math intervention programs.
“Speaking from Huffman Academy, we saw amazing outcomes in terms of increasing the amount of students who are reading at grade level,” Woods said. “We all believe that every child can learn and we have to make sure we are getting them the resources they need to achieve their goals academically. And if students need additional attention, we want to ensure they have access to those resources as well.”
