Jennifer Perez, a 30-year-old teacher in the Bronx, tells of a quiet boy who didn’t know how to identify any letters, grasp a pencil or hold a book properly when he came to her kindergarten class last year. Now a first-grader who is still her student at P.S. 63, the 6-year-old can almost read on grade level and “smiles from ear to ear” with pride. Ms. Perez credits much of her success helping him to a nonprofit initiative called Early Reading Matters, which coaches teachers in 34 high-poverty schools in New York City.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 03, 2019 18:00 UTC