Closing the resource gap to improve student performance

The Literacy Lab serves children from age 3 through third grade to help close the literacy gap by partnering with school districts and embedding full-time, rigorously trained tutors in early childhood centers and elementary schools.

Under Jenkins’ leadership, the organization received a significant boost with a $10 million donation from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. Scott’s “no strings attached” approach aligns with The Literacy Lab’s focus on equity and inclusion, particularly in communities of color. In her proposal, Jenkins outlined the need to enhance internal processes and practices, emphasizing the importance of data and human resources staffing. The organization serves 95% students of color, and Jenkins stressed the necessity of culturally responsive practices supported by robust data and analyses.

Expressing gratitude for Scott’s generosity, Jenkins emphasized the organization’s 13-year commitment to helping students achieve grade-level literacy targets. The substantial gift will enable The Literacy Lab to work strategically with a long-term vision, expanding its impact.

A graduate of GSE’s social foundations PhD program (now the educational culture, policy and society PhD program), Jenkins relies on a data-driven approach, a principle she learned from SUNY Distinguished Professor Lois Weis, and she credits her understanding the needs of The Literacy Lab to the skills acquired in her GSE program. “I learned so much about research and writing about the field of sociology of education, and thinking about the data telling the story as opposed to the story leading you to choose the data. That is something that I have taken with me everywhere,” Jenkins says. “I will say: ‘The data is going to tell me what I do from here, and that data is going to say what the priorities are. The data is going to say what the direction should be.’”

According to Weis, Jenkins “stands as great testimony to the practicality of a rigorous research-based PhD program and the ways in which PhD graduates of such programs can exert short- and long-term impact on individuals’ lives,” said Weis.

Jenkins continues to apply data-driven knowledge in her work, focusing on developing and executing strategic plans at The Literacy Lab; the Mackenzie Scott gift is expected to further propel the organization’s commitment to literacy and equity, marking a new phase with exciting possibilities.