Literacy United:
How a nonprofit used English Islands to boost at-home support
.png)
.png)
Literacy United Founder
Dr. Kary A. Johnson is a dedicated bilingual reading specialist with a passion for empowering struggling readers.
She has worked in education for more than 20 years, and her knowledge and steadfast dedication to literacy have changed the lives of countless individuals.
Dr. Kary A. Johnson, Founder & Executive Clinical Director
Background
Literacy United is a nonprofit organization that serves students across the Fort Worth, Texas area with varying reading levels. Theresa Kauffman, a tutor at Literacy United, holds a Doctor of Education in Administrative Leadership and has over 30 years of experience working with students with reading challenges.
Dr. Kauffman works with students through individual sessions at local libraries and school-based programs, providing targeted reading instruction to struggling learners. Her expertise and experience made her an ideal candidate for implementing English Islands, a digital literacy platform designed to extend learning beyond tutoring sessions.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
Dr. Kauffman’s tutoring includes 30-minute individual reading sessions with students. Her responsibilities include diagnosing reading difficulties, designing personalized interventions and monitoring progress through both formal assessments and ongoing observation.
.png)
Dr. Theresa Kauffman
What was your first impression?
Literacy United faced a persistent challenge: how to provide struggling readers with sufficient, engaging practice beyond their weekly tutoring sessions.
Without supplementary practice, gains made during tutoring sessions fade quickly. Traditional worksheets and paper-based practice lack the interactive feedback and engagement that can motivate struggling learners. Tutors needed a way to monitor whether students were actually completing practice at home, and whether that practice was effective.
"I use it differently with the two students that I work with," Kauffman notes. "Carson is younger and we started him last year. He was in second grade and struggling with reading. And so it was about the phonics practice, and getting more practice at home than just with me once a week."
Kauffman uses English Islands with him differently with her other student: "My other student Brent is in ninth grade, and he is intellectually challenged and so he has this history of people helping him. When there's a word he doesn't know, he'll look straight at me. And I'll tell him, let's click through the sounds so you can figure it out on your own. And so that's gotten better and has helped him be more independent."
Kauffman reported: "Both of these students are doing better in school, the parents have commented that they're getting good reports."
For Brent specifically, the impact was notable: “he's become more proficient at pronunciation, which was something I didn't realize was going to be part of English islands, I just thought it was going to help him with reading, but it’s helped with with pronunciation, too."
A Platform Built for Interactive Learning
What stood out to Kauffman was the platform's interactive approach to phonics instruction. Unlike static worksheets, English Islands provided immediate feedback on pronunciation and decoding - a feature that was particularly valuable for her struggling readers.
"Navigating through English Islands has been very easy, it's very user friendly," she noted. The color-coded visual dashboard for tracking progress was particularly appealing, allowing her to quickly assess which skills students had mastered, and where they struggled.
English Islands aligned with Literacy United’s literacy goals: improving reading proficiency, increasing student engagement, and providing data-driven insights into student progress. For Kauffman personally, the platform promised to extend her instructional reach beyond her in-person hours with each student.
How English Islands Transformed Student Outcomes for Literacy United
Pronunciation Development: English Islands helped Brent develop more accurate pronunciation, an unexpected benefit that Dr. Kauffman had not anticipated.
Development of Learner Independence: For Brent, the platform helped him move from relying on adults for help, to attempting to solve problems independently.
Data-Driven Instruction: The color-coded progress dashboard allows tutors to quickly assess student progress.
English Islands Delivers Results: Expert Educator Endorsement
Theresa Kauffman came to English Islands looking for a way to extend instruction between tutoring sessions. The platform delivered measurable improvements in student outcomes for two very different learners.
"Both of these students are doing better in school," Kauffman reflected.
When asked about the relationship between English Islands and her tutoring practice, Kauffman was clear: "It's a combination…It's very complementary. It helps reinforce what we're doing."
Theresa Kauffman came to English Islands hoping for a phonics practice tool that would extend instructional time between tutoring sessions. What she discovered was a platform capable of delivering measurable improvements in reading proficiency and student confidence.
"Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Both of these students are doing better in school. The parents have commented to me that they're getting good reports." Kauffman reflected. The results exceeded her initial expectations.
Ready to Transform Early Literacy at your nonprofit?
English Islands improves reading outcomes while maintaining the human relationships central to effective literacy instruction. Whether you're serving struggling readers in early elementary grades or mixed-ability classrooms, English Islands delivers measurable results.
Want to see English Islands in action?
Book a personalized demo or reach out to info@englishislands.com to explore how the platform can address your nonprofit’s early literacy challenges.