Academics

Academic Impact

Did you know?

In 2022, only 33% of fourth-grade public school students in Wisconsin performed at or above the National Assessment of Education (NAEP) Proficient level in reading.

Our Why

There was a first-grade student at our Schierl Center who struggled greatly with her basic reading skills. She was barely able to read ten words in a minute and struggled with her basic sight words. During our comprehensive reading program, by giving guided instructions in decoding strategies and just a chance to read, she was able to improve her overall reading. Her words per minute jumped up to twenty words, but most importantly, her confidence grew.

Impact Numbers

50+

Club Members Participated in Reading Enrichment this Summer

751

Club Members Participated in STEAM

983

Club Members Participated in

Power Hour

Summer Learning Loss

Summer learning loss occurs when youth fail to retain what they learned during the previous academic year, returning to school at a lower level than when they left.


  • This loss especially affects youth from low-income households; studies show that most youth lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in math and reading skills over the summer, but youth from low-income households experience even greater loss. 


  • Because it can take as much as two months in the fall for young people to recover and re-learn what they lost while away from school, it is especially important to engage them in constructive, enriching activities during the summer months so they will be ready for success when the school year gets under way. 

What is the BGC doing?

Boys & Girls Clubs’ academic enrichment experiences, such as high-yield learning activities and games, and support in the form of targeted tutoring and homework assistance help youth perform well academically.


Over the course of the summer, we implemented a comprehensive reading program at our Schierl and Berard Centers, aimed at enhancing the literacy skills of our students ranging from first to sixth grades. The primary objective was not only to support those who faced challenges in reading but also to further enrich the skills of those who excelled in this area.


Our dedicated time centered on instilling the recognition of rhymes in the students. They were systematically taught how to identify the rhyme in a word, decode it, and ultimately read it. By mastering these foundational skills, our students not only experienced an improvement in reading speed but also gained the ability to read more fluently. This increased fluency, in turn, enabled them to enhance their reading stamina and discover a newfound joy in the act of reading.

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