Adrian, MI – The room is filled with quiet encouragement.

An educator leans in to help sound out a word. A student smiles after getting it right. Across the room, another child celebrates a small victory with a high-five. Conversations fill the room as educators and students work side by side, confidence grows one word at a time, and children leave believing in themselves just a little bit more than when they arrived.

That is the heart of the Lenawee County Reading Clinic.

Each summer, the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD) brings together local educators and young readers for an experience that changes both. Students receive individualized reading support while educators strengthen their understanding of how children learn to read, immediately putting new learning into practice with the child sitting with them.

"There is real power in one-on-one instruction because it allows educators to target each student's specific needs while building a relationship with them," said Emily Stiver, Literacy Consultant and co-facilitator of the Reading Clinic. "When instruction is individualized, students receive exactly the support they need at that moment, and they begin to see that someone believes in them. That connection helps students feel valued, seen, and capable of becoming successful readers."

For Robyn Francis, Literacy Data Support and co-facilitator of the clinic, those relationships begin almost immediately.

"The teachers really come alive once the students are in the room," Francis said. "A lot of the Reading Clinic is reading through the materials and discussing the concepts, but when the students are here, that is when the magic happens."

Sometimes, that magic is found in moments that seem small.

A child reads a word they struggled with the day before. A teacher offers praise after a breakthrough. By the third day of this year's clinic, some students were so excited to return that they greeted their tutors with hugs.

"It melted my heart," Francis said. "It doesn't take long for a caring adult to connect with a child and help him or her learn."

While students build confidence as readers, educators are building confidence, too.

Throughout the eight-day clinic, teachers learn evidence-based literacy practices and immediately apply them during one-on-one tutoring sessions. That combination of learning and doing allows educators to leave with strategies they can use in their own classrooms long after summer ends.

For Kelly Bush, participating in the clinic helped bridge the gap between learning about literacy and knowing how to put it into practice.

"I was hoping to learn how to figure out what areas students are struggling in and then how to help them become proficient in those areas," Bush said. After completing the clinic, she said she is taking back a stronger understanding of phonemic awareness and phonics, along with tools to identify and teach the skills students are missing.

When asked to finish the sentence, "Every child deserves someone who…," Bush didn't hesitate.

"...will never give up on them, even when things are hard."

For Letty Goodlock, the greatest reward came from watching her student become more excited and confident each day.

When asked the same question, she answered, "...believes in them and encourages them to reach their full potential."

Glory Nighswander, another participant, described seeing a student's eyes "light up" when something finally clicks as her favorite part of teaching.

"The confidence that they gain in that moment is priceless," she said. After the clinic, she plans to bring new instructional tools and a deeper understanding of the Science of Reading back to her classroom to support every student's reading journey.

While each child benefits from individualized support during the clinic, the impact stretches far beyond the students sitting at those tables.

"I hope every educator leaves feeling empowered to take what they have learned and apply it in their classrooms," Stiver said. "Each educator leaves equipped to support countless additional students and to share their learning with colleagues, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond the two weeks of the clinic."

That ripple effect is what makes the Lenawee County Reading Clinic so meaningful.

The students leave with stronger foundational reading skills and, perhaps even more importantly, greater confidence in themselves. Educators return to classrooms across Lenawee County with new knowledge that will impact hundreds of future readers. Together, those small moments shared side-by-side become something much bigger.

The Lenawee County Reading Clinic is open to educators from school districts across Lenawee County who want to strengthen their understanding of evidence-based literacy instruction while working directly with students. During the summer clinic, families of elementary students who could benefit from individualized reading support are invited to participate at no cost. It provides a welcoming environment where students receive targeted instruction while parents can relax, work remotely or enjoy the resources available at the LISD's Center for Educational Materials and Technology (CEM@T).

The Lenawee County Reading Clinic also offers a school-year cohort designed specifically for educators. Participants meet once a month throughout the school year to learn the same Science of Reading content before immediately applying their learning by tutoring two students from their own schools. Educators are compensated for their tutoring time, and participating school districts are reimbursed for substitute costs on cohort meeting days.

Educators interested in joining an upcoming cohort or families interested in next summer's Reading Clinic can learn more by visiting lisd.us/lcrc.