Educators from across the country gathered at the Whelan Elementary School last week to see firsthand how Revere Public Schools is helping young students build stronger reading skills through its partnership with Ignite Reading and a schoolwide approach to literacy instruction.
Among the visitors was Ignite Reading co-founder and CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski, who joined public school educators from as far away as Oakland, California, for a closer look at the school's literacy intervention strategies, student progress, and instructional practices.
The visit was led by Whelan Literacy Coach Stefanie Porrazzo, with assistance from Principal Rachel Shanley, who shared how the school has restructured its approach to early literacy over the past several years.
The visit came as Revere Public Schools entered its fifth year partnering with Ignite Reading. Earlier this school year, the district was awarded 132 seats for first-grade students during the 2026-2027 academic year, continuing its commitment to providing daily, one-on-one tutoring tailored to students' foundational reading needs.
Rather than just highlighting the Ignite Reading program, Porrazzo and Shanley gave visitors a broader view of how the school has woven the tutoring initiative into a comprehensive literacy plan that emphasizes early intervention, targeted instruction, and ongoing evaluation of student growth.
Porrazzo said students are picked for Ignite Reading by looking at literacy assessment data, support services they already get, attendance, and teacher recommendations. The goal is to identify students who would benefit most from additional reading instruction, particularly those who are not already receiving specialized services.
The approach has produced encouraging results.
According to Porrazzo, 86% of Whelan first-graders finished the previous school year meeting or exceeding literacy benchmarks measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, commonly known as DIBELS. Approximately 92% met benchmarks in nonsense word fluency, an assessment of students' ability to apply phonics skills to unfamiliar words.
Porrazzo also highlighted the progress of students who participated in the school's earliest Ignite Reading cohorts.
"All of them met the benchmark for DIBELS except for one student who wasn't a SPED student," she said, referring to the original cohort's results at the end of third grade when students receiving special education services were excluded from that comparison.
Those improvements have allowed educators to begin shifting their instructional focus from basic decoding and phonics toward reading comprehension, writing, and classroom discussions.
"We're seeing more and more writing and discussion now in second grade, whereas before they were so primarily phonics focused," Porrazzo explained.
Visitors also learned about the school's four reading specialists, who work from a dedicated area affectionately known as "Literacy Lane," and observed how literacy instruction extends beyond traditional reading lessons.
In STEM classes, for example, first-graders recently read a book about designing a school before writing, revising, and editing their engineering plans.
Another significant component of Whelan's success has been the restructuring of its 40-minute intervention block.
Shanley explained that the school moved away from a largely computer-based model toward structured, small-group instruction designed around individual student needs.
That transformation required difficult decisions, including shifting reading specialist resources away from fourth and fifth grades to provide additional support in kindergarten through second grade.
"The first big overhaul was Rachel believing in me," Porrazzo said, describing how the two began working together to strengthen early literacy instruction.
The changes necessitated significant collaboration among teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators, as well as modifications to classroom schedules and instructional methods.
Shanley credited Porrazzo's leadership and the commitment of the school's educators for helping make those changes possible.
"Reading is the foundation of everything that we live and breathe here," Shanley said.
The school is now building on those gains through its "Whelan Three Big Rocks," an instructional initiative emphasizing differentiation, student discourse, and small-group instruction across classrooms.
While acknowledging that additional work remains, particularly in reading comprehension and upper-grade achievement, Shanley emphasized that the school's progress reflects years of consistent effort and a shared commitment to student success.
"Every decision we make is based on that," she said.
For the visiting educators, the experience offered a firsthand look at how Ignite Reading, combined with intentional schoolwide instructional changes, is helping Whelan students develop the foundational skills needed for continued academic growth.