During the 2024–2025 school year, Roots and Wings’ Project UpLift supported 15 Title I elementary schools in Palm Beach County, where only 57% of 3rd grade students currently read at grade level. Every student in the program started one to two grade levels behind and was in the bottom 25% of their class. Through consistent tutoring and encouragement, 96% of the third graders taking part in the program made significant reading gains and achieved promotion rates comparable to their classmates, even though they started much further behind. These results illustrate the program’s effectiveness in closing the reading gap and fostering student growth during this critical educational stage.
In November, 2025, a special plaque was installed outside a third grade classroom at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School in Palm Beach Gardens to honor The Ibis Charitable Foundation for its grant supporting the Roots and Wings Project Uplift student tutorial program.
Third grade teachers, who are also literacy tutors in this after school initiative, praised the program for improving their student’s reading skills and confidence and expressed their gratitude for the Foundation’s support that enables their tutoring work.
