The Forward Scholars initiative grew out of a listening campaign by Common Ground – a Milwaukee organization that advances community-driven solutions. After talking to families, educators, and community members, reading support for Milwaukee's literacy crisis was identified as a critical need. In 2021 Forward Scholars was founded.
In 2022, Forward Scholars volunteer tutoring program was officially implemented in five Milwaukee Public Schools, serving 135 students. These students made exceptional reading gains, demonstrating the power of consistent, one-on-one instruction.
During its first four years, Forward Scholars more than doubled in size, expanding to 300 students in ten schools. The proven impact and strong community demand of the program also drove expansion beyond MPS to Milwaukee’s charter schools.
Community need, sustainable funding, volunteer capacity, and a commitment to high-quality implementation continues to guide our growth. By partnering with schools and hundreds of trained volunteer tutors, we are building brighter futures and stronger communities through reading.
The students we work with are grades K–3 who are not yet meeting grade-level expectations with reading.
Each student is paired with a volunteer who has undergone training. Volunteers are supported with individualized lesson plans and materials for every one-on-one tutoring session.
Tutoring takes place during the day at the school in a Learning Lab which is staffed by a Forward Scholars Site Coordinator. They are highly-qualified teachers who are present for every session to coach and support volunteers and their students.
