Powering the literacy journey

Through Cummins Foundation and CARE (Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity) initiative, Cummins Inc. has partnered with KIPP Indy Public Schools (KIPP Indy) to improve reading among K-3 grade students in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood of Indianapolis, Ind. (U.S.). By providing resources through a financial grant, along with the involvement of Cummins leadership and employee volunteers, KIPP Indy can continue and expand the proven reading instruction that is critical for the long-term success of the students in this community. 

“There is an urgent need to help students recover from the last several years of challenges as shown in recent low reading scores,” says Brian Mormino, Executive Director, Technical and Environmental Systems at Cummins and CARE Academic Achievement Team leader. “KIPP Indy is taking their students to new heights by providing them with a high-quality education shifting instructional methods, additional programming, assessment and leadership systems to align with the decades of research termed the Science of Reading. They are making an impact with the children in the community, and Cummins is here to help support the meaningful work being done by the teachers, community volunteers, students’ families and, of course, the students.”

Strategizing literacy

Individuals with basic reading and writing skills are at a major advantage. According to the World Literacy Foundation, more than two billion adults worldwide don’t have the essential literacy skills employers need. Findings show literacy empowers and liberates and needs to be cultivated. Employing proven methods to teach reading and raise reading levels at the optimal ages is precisely what KIPP Indy Public Schools implements with their K-3 grade students.

Martha Cortes, Chief Partnerships Officer, KIPP Indy Public Schools, tells us more: “Cummins’ partnership with KIPP and our partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and other organizations in the community that truly believe in the sustainability of literacy and support educational strategy are making a difference in the lives of so many young students. Cummins has provided KIPP Indy with the largest corporate gift we have received thus far. The funds help our staff continue their development in providing the additional programs and support what is needed to move the needle around literacy. Over the past year, we have seen the most growth in both reading and math across the region since pre-pandemic years, which is a true testament to the effectiveness of our program.”

Looking to the future

In 2022, national evaluations showed only 33% of Indiana fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders were proficient in reading. These scores are similar to nationwide scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which revealed a decline in reading proficiency since the last assessment in 2019 with 37% of students performing below NAEP’s basic standard. Recently, the Indiana Department of Education released results from their IREAD-3 assessment showing that nearly one in five Indiana students are not mastering the foundational reading skills by the critical milestone of the end of third grade. Further, the Indiana data highlights the disparities in the educational system as only one in three English learners, Hispanic and Black students passed IREAD – which is at least 19 percentage points lower than their White classmates. These results underscore students’ struggles in reading that educators and lawmakers say is partially due to inadequate, outdated methods of teaching.

The consequences of flawed reading instruction go beyond test scores. Third graders who are not proficient in reading are four times more likely to not graduate high school on time or drop out completely, according to the Indiana State Board of Education’s Indiana Student Achievement Report. KIPP Indy and the Edna Martin Christian Center developed a proposal to support and expand existing proven activities to help their students read at grade level based on approaches aligned to the Science of Reading. The Cummins Foundation grant to KIPP Indy goes directly to support these activities.

“Cummins places priority on building more prosperous communities throughout the world,” continues Mormino. “A key focus in how Cummins does that is by advocating for equitable educational systems and high-quality learning environments. We have been working with KIPP Indy for about 18 months and know, first-hand, the benefits of their program and the difference they are making in the future of these young minds, and Cummins is excited to be part of the journey.”

KIPP Indy continues to see growth across their network of schools, particularly in K-2. In the 2022-2023 school year, 72% of students in grades K-2 reached their individualized growth goal in English Language Arts. Specifically, in kindergarten, reading proficiency increased from 13% at the beginning of the year to 68% at the end of year. 

Reading as a science

The Science of Reading is a body of research about how children learn to read. It outlines the evidence of what matters and what works in literacy instruction and is organized around models that describe the how and why. While some reading programs teach students to read by guessing a word based on a picture or using context clues, schools in Indiana and across the country are increasingly adopting curriculum that directly teaches the relationship between sounds, letters and words. The Science of Reading focuses on five key elements: phonic, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as well as writing. Learning to read for understanding requires sounding out and recognizing words – decoding – but it also requires making meaning of the words and sentences we hear – language comprehension.

After assessing pandemic-related academic gaps, KIPP Indy began aligning systems to the Science of Reading in 2021. “We saw the results, studied the research and went back to the foundation of what works in developing proficient readers by implementing the scientific method of reading to support student learning,” continues Cortes. “Investing in the further development of our teachers, supporting families by sharing tips and tricks for them to encourage learning at home, and even engaging those supporting our school system – like our bus drivers doubling as tutors – to connect with students and instill the importance of literacy, these are some of the actions we have taken in our quest to improve literacy. It’s amazing what can be achieved when the private sector, companies like Cummins, and public education come together.”

Did you know? 

Since established in 1966 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day is observed annually on September 8th. The recognition serves as a global platform to advocate for and raise awareness about the importance of literacy as a fundamental human right and a catalyst for sustainable development. This year’s theme is – Promoting Literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable peaceful societies.