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Stop the Summer Slide: Free Webinar to Support Young Readers This Summer Summer break can be a time for fun and relaxation—but without regular reading, many children experience the “summer slide,” a loss of reading skills that can set them back by as much as an entire grade level. Join the discussion on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. This free webinar is designed for parents, guardians, and anyone supporting rising 2nd, 3rd, or 4th graders. You’ll learn how to keep your readers engaged, learning, and building reading comprehension over the summer. We’ll explore the Summer of ReadWorks workbooks, a great resource that helps students:
Why it matters: Research shows that when children don’t read over the summer, they can lose critical skills they worked hard to develop during the school year. This “summer slide” contributes to long-term learning gaps—but it’s preventable. Experts recommend daily reading and meaningful conversations about what kids learn. Just 10–15 minutes a day can help maintain and even boost reading achievement over the summer months. This free webinar will give you:
Let’s work together to make summer a season of growth—not learning loss. Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Time: 3:30 PM ET Who should attend: Parents, caregivers, educators, tutors, and anyone else supporting summer reading Register now to attend live or receive a recording Take the first step to stop the summer slide! Written by: Tamika Reece, Education Support - Project Manager
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For years, we've been hearing from teachers that they need quality resources to support their multilingual learners. After careful development, we've brought together teacher requests and the research to create Spanish-English Paired Texts for multilingual learners. Teachers have told us that in their classrooms, their multilingual learners come from a variety of different backgrounds. They come into the classroom with different language skills. And they're taught in a variety of different settings, from one-on-one, to small groups, to integrated classrooms. This is in line with the research as well. Additionally, reading comprehension research shows that students understand what they are reading better if they know more about the topic. Research also shows that any language is an asset when learning another, reading comprehension skills are transferable, and translation alone is not a strong support. We designed a product that capitalizes on students’ existing language skills by building background knowledge in the Spanish language first. This gained background knowledge can then bridge to English reading comprehension. ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts consist of three components:
In line with the Science of Reading, students can read the Spanish text to build background knowledge and vocabulary in the student’s home language first. Both the Spanish and English passages use the same vocabulary words. Next, students read a text in the English language on a similar topic. Finally, they answer the Question Set for the English passage to deepen reading comprehension. ReadWorks Spanish-English Paired Texts are written by diverse Spanish speakers who are representative of students. They also offer differentiation features such as human audio by Spanish speakers. Spanish-English Paired Texts in the Classroom Prep
What’s on the Way for Fall 2025? ReadWorks is constantly working to improve our products, and SEPTs are no exception. Here's what's on the horizon for SEPTs:
Create your ReadWorks account or make sure you are signed up to received our emails to know when all these new features go live!
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 | We are thrilled to bring back the Earth Day Illustration Contest for another year! This Earth Day, April 22, 2025 we're inviting students in grades 2-5 to bring ReadWorks passages to life through art! The contest is hosted by our wonderful content partner The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to encourage young readers to reflect on what they read about animals, conservation and our planet! |
How to Participate
- Read and Reflect: Students will select and read an Earth Day-themed passage from ReadWorks, written by our NFWF experts. These texts are designed to spark curiosity and highlight environmental issues.
- Get Creative: After reading, students will create an original illustration inspired by the passage. Artwork can be in any medium—crayons, paint, markers, or digital designs—and should capture the essence of the text in a creative, meaningful way. (Sorry, we will not accept any AI generated images)
- Submit Your Entry: Teachers, parents, or guardians can submit student entries online by the contest deadline midnight on April 30, 2025.
There are some great prizes and our judging panel will award one winner per grade level!
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Important Dates to Remember
- Earth Day: April 22, 2025
- Submission Deadline: April 30, 2025
- Winners Notified: May 20, 2025
- Winners Announced: Late May 2025
For full contest details, submission guidelines, and to access the Earth Day passages, visit our Earth Day 2025 Contest Page.
We can’t wait to see the incredible artwork your students create!
Platinum Transparency Award 2025
 | ReadWorks has earned the prestigious Platinum Transparency status from Candid, a leading platform for nonprofit data and transparency. This recognition reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the trust we’ve built with our supporters. |
Boosted EdTech: Leveraging Product Validations for Success
| Earlier this month at SXSW, Dr. Susanne Nobles of ReadWorks joined forces with edtech validators to lead a focused session on the value of third-party certifications. Susanne shared how ReadWorks has leveraged certifications to demonstrate product quality to funders, districts, and educators—while also fostering stronger collaboration across internal teams. Participants explored how the certification process can align development, research, and outreach efforts. Each attendee walked away with practical templates and strategies to apply within their own organizations. |  |
Welcome Lori Mayer to the ReadWorks Board
 | Lori Mayer is thrilled with the opportunity to join the ReadWorks Board, where she plans to harness her extensive expertise in technology and education to further the organization's mission of advancing literacy and educational equity. As a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Lori is leading a transformational global delivery excellence program, crafting a comprehensive methodology supported through an intelligent technology ecosystem and integrating cutting-edge solutions through Generative AI. She is eager to apply this knowledge to help ReadWorks develop innovative digital tools that provide deeper insight to enhance reading comprehension and accessibility for all students. |
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At ReadWorks, we believe that knowledge is a right! Every child deserves access to high-quality reading materials that build background knowledge, strengthen vocabulary, and ignite curiosity — no matter where they live or what resources their school may have.
That’s why all of our online reading passages and resources are completely free!
Closing the Knowledge Gap
Research shows that background knowledge and vocabulary are critical to reading comprehension — yet too many students, especially those in under-resourced communities, lack access to the kind of content-rich materials that support their learning. As a nonprofit, we're committed to closing that gap by making expertly curated, engaging reading passages accessible to all. We are particularly focused on reaching the 21,000+ schools that have an enrollment of 75% or more students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Sometimes referred to as Title I schools. Learn more about our free online reading passages.
Supporting Every Teacher, Every Classroom
Teachers are the heart of education — but they shouldn’t have to spend valuable time searching for affordable, high-quality materials. Our library of over 6,000 free online reading passages spans a range of topics, grade levels, and languages, offering the tools to differentiate instruction and engage every student. We also support the professional development of teachers for free. Learn more about our free customized professional development and view our library of live or on-demand webinars.
Research-Proven
Every ReadWorks resource is backed by the latest research in the science of reading and written with care by experts. By offering our resources for free, we’re breaking down barriers to knowledge building that works. In just nine weeks a class of 4th graders improved knowledge by 11% after their teacher implemented the ReadWorks Article-A-Day routine. See the research brief.
Our mission is powered by the belief that knowledge belongs to everyone. If you believe in the power of reading to transform lives, we invite you to explore our resources, share them with your community, and help us spread the word. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for keeping ReadWorks free of charge!
That’s why all of our online reading passages and resources are completely free!
Closing the Knowledge Gap
Research shows that background knowledge and vocabulary are critical to reading comprehension — yet too many students, especially those in under-resourced communities, lack access to the kind of content-rich materials that support their learning. As a nonprofit, we're committed to closing that gap by making expertly curated, engaging reading passages accessible to all. We are particularly focused on reaching the 21,000+ schools that have an enrollment of 75% or more students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Sometimes referred to as Title I schools. Learn more about our free online reading passages.
Supporting Every Teacher, Every Classroom
Teachers are the heart of education — but they shouldn’t have to spend valuable time searching for affordable, high-quality materials. Our library of over 6,000 free online reading passages spans a range of topics, grade levels, and languages, offering the tools to differentiate instruction and engage every student. We also support the professional development of teachers for free. Learn more about our free customized professional development and view our library of live or on-demand webinars.
Research-Proven
Every ReadWorks resource is backed by the latest research in the science of reading and written with care by experts. By offering our resources for free, we’re breaking down barriers to knowledge building that works. In just nine weeks a class of 4th graders improved knowledge by 11% after their teacher implemented the ReadWorks Article-A-Day routine. See the research brief.
Our mission is powered by the belief that knowledge belongs to everyone. If you believe in the power of reading to transform lives, we invite you to explore our resources, share them with your community, and help us spread the word. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters for keeping ReadWorks free of charge!
