Air Reading
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| Grade Levels | Group Size | Tutor Type | Qualifying Studies | Average Effect Size |
| 1 | 4 | External staff: In-service teachers or retired teachers | 1 | +.20 |
Contact Info
202-848-9529
jackie@airreading.com
| Groups Studied | |
|---|---|
| Black | |
| Hispanic | |
| White | |
| Asian American | |
| English Learners | |
| Free and Reduced Lunch |
| Communities Studied | |
|---|---|
| Urban | |
| Suburban | |
| Rural |
Video
Program Description
Air Reading offers personalized, high-dosage tutoring for students, focusing on key literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Tutors provide small-group, virtual instruction through Zoom or Google Meet, meeting 2–4 times per week. The program uses a research-based curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading. By integrating formative assessments and data-driven instruction, tutors can customize lessons to meet each student’s unique needs, providing targeted support. Air Reading’s goal is to help students achieve grade-level reading proficiency by addressing learning gaps and accelerating progress.
Tutors
Air Reading tutors are highly qualified educators, including certified teachers and retired professionals, who provide small-group, virtual instruction via Zoom or Google Meet. While many tutors hold teaching certifications, all have extensive experience in literacy instruction. Tutors receive specialized training in the Science of Reading and Air Reading’s curriculum to ensure they can effectively support diverse student needs.
Students
Air Reading serves students who need additional support in building foundational literacy skills, including multilingual learners and those with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or reading disabilities.
Technology
Air Reading’s proprietary platform integrates with Zoom and Google Meet for synchronous, small-group tutoring, accessible on all devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It also integrates seamlessly with Clever and ClassLink, making it easy for students and teachers to access classes, materials, and other resources. The platform features real-time assessments and progress tracking, enabling tutors to personalize instruction based on each student’s unique needs. This ensures scalable, high-quality remote learning for literacy development, delivering an efficient and accessible solution for both students and educators.
Curriculum
Air Reading’s skill-based reading curriculum is grounded in the Science of Reading, focusing on the five core literacy areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The curriculum is delivered through structured, research-based lessons and integrates real-time assessments. It adapts to meet the diverse needs of students, ensuring instruction is personalized and responsive to individual learning gaps. Air Reading’s curriculum is entirely digital, designed to be accessible on any device, and provides high-quality instructional materials that build on students’ prior knowledge. Lessons are sequenced to support skill development, enabling students to progress from foundational literacy skills to more advanced comprehension and fluency tasks. The program emphasizes targeted support for struggling readers, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities, aligning with best practices in literacy education.
Assessments
Air Reading uses a comprehensive assessment system to ensure students are placed appropriately within the tutoring program and to monitor progress over time. Initial placement is determined through a diagnostic assessment that evaluates phonemic awareness, phonics, morphology, and reading fluency. Once placed, students participate in small-group, virtual instruction, where ongoing formative assessments are conducted to tailor lessons to each student’s needs. Progress is shared with classroom teachers and parents, allowing for reinforcement of learning and celebration of student achievements.
Program Operation
Air Reading operates virtual, small-group tutoring with 2–4 students per group.
Tutors conduct 2–4 weekly sessions, each lasting 30–40 minutes. Progress is tracked in real-time using formative assessments and observations, allowing instruction to be personalized for each student. A tutor dashboard tracks student progress, with results reviewed weekly and shared with parents, school leaders, and tutors to ensure alignment.
Due to its virtual model, Air Reading can scale across regions, providing consistent, high-quality tutoring without geographic limitations.
Professional Development, Progress Monitoring, and Follow-up
Air Reading provides comprehensive training to tutors, focusing on its Science of Reading-based curriculum, explicit instruction in the small-group format, support for struggling readers, student engagement, and more. After completing initial training, tutors have ongoing support through monthly coaching sessions where they review student progress, receive feedback, and observe best practices.
Cost
$1,500/student/year
Research on Program Outcomes
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Research and Reform in Education evaluated the impact of Air Reading on nearly 400 1st- to 6th-grade students from six rural Texas elementary schools, with the majority of participants in grades 1 and 2. Air Reading provided high-dosage, small-group virtual tutoring sessions four times weekly for 10 weeks, focusing on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Grade 1, involving 112 students, was the only individual grade level on its own to show significant gains on the NWEA MAP reading assessment, with an effect size of +0.20 compared to the control group. Across all grades, Air Reading participants demonstrated significant improvements on reading, with an effect size of +0.12 on the NWEA MAP, and an even higher effect size of +0.17 for students attending 40 or more sessions. These gains were observed across diverse demographic groups, underscoring the program’s broad impact on literacy outcomes.
Key Studies
- Neitzel, A.J., & Storey, N. (2024). Air Reading: A randomized evaluation of a virtual tutoring model. Center for Research and Reform in Education, Johns Hopkins University.