When the first literacy hub opened in Norwood Elementary in the 2023-24 school year, only 52% of kindergarteners were reading proficiently. Two years later, 88% of kindergarteners in the Title 1 school in Miami Gardens are on track as proficient readers.
The Lucy Project, the group of specialized educators behind the impressive improved reading scores at Norwood, is being expanded this year to five more elementary schools, bringing the total to nine schools.
" A child who doesn't learn how to read is going to be unhappy," Lucy Project founder and chief executive officer Sandra Bermudez told WLRN.
They compare themselves to their peers, she said, and sense there's something different about them, which "often comes out in discipline issues [and] behaviors, because they start internalizing that they're not smart."
"The issue isn't that they're not smart, the issue is that they were not taught properly how to read," Bermudez said.
In addition to Norwood Elementary, The Lucy Project is also helping students in Auburndale and Florida City elementary schools, as well as Beacon College Prep. And thanks to a donation of $500,000 through the Partnership for Miami, the non-profit has five more hubs this school year.
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The Lucy Project focuses on high-need schools. The share of 3rd graders who are "proficient or above" at the five schools with the new hubs — Laura C. Sanders, James H. Bright, Riverside, Broadmoor and Melrose elementary schools — is less than 55% at each school, according to state data from last school year. At Riverside Elementary, only 18% of 3rd graders were reading proficient or above.
Each school receives small group instruction for students, weekly progress-monitoring and professional development for administrators and teachers.
In most states, standardized testing begins in the 3rd grade. Research also shows that reading comprehension at that age level is a strong indicator of student health and success, or lack thereof, long-term. If a student is behind by this age, catching up is unlikely.
The investment the Lucy Project makes in each kindergartner is approximately $1,500. "You can say, 'Wow, that's a lot of money.' But do the math of how much it costs to have a dropout. Think about how much is the cost of a lost life."
" That child that didn't learn how to read... are the children that are going end up costing our city, our society, tons of money because many of those people are the ones that end up in welfare, in prison, without opportunities. And it's not that they didn't want to learn how to read, it's that we didn't teach them well enough."
The Lucy Project also added Liberty Academy as a pre-K site this year.
Teachers and specialists trained with the Lucy Project receive lessons on how to teach the Science of Reading, a field of study that argues reading is a carefully taught process that requires evidence-backed research. This could look like teaching the phonics of a single letter or a combination of letters.
As the program continues to grow in Miami-Dade, state leaders have taken notice of its success and want to bring it to a rural district for a pilot program. State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, and state Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, helped secure $600,000 in state funds for the project.
" We're doing really well in Miami, but we want to make sure that this travels because our end goal is really systems-level change," Bermudez said. "The one thing that all elected officials agree on is that our children want and deserve to learn to read."
How it began
Bermudez founded The Lucy Project in 2020 in Miami.
A a self-described "serial entrepreneur," Bermudez sold her business when her then-7-year-old daughter, Lucy, was struggling to read and diagnosed with dyslexia. Her teachers doubted the young student's ability to do well and recover academically, but Bermudez refused to give up. She found tutors and dedicated herself to learning everything she could about the education to help Lucy overcome the challenges. By 8th grade, she was reading at an 11th-grade level. Lucy is now planning her college career.
Last September, the Partnership for Miami committed $2 million to the non-profit to expand the early literacy program. Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth Griffin and Griffin Catalyst gave half of that amount. The money supports 800 students from kindergarten through 2nd grade over three years.
" Everyone needs to learn how to read and that is our commitment to Miami," Bermudez said. "I raised my daughter here and I feel like I owe this much to Miami."
