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SIUE expands Freedom School to three sites; presenters report improved reading outcomes
Summary
SIUE presenters told trustees the Freedom School program expanded from 50 to 150 students across three sites in 2025 and reported that 84% of participants maintained or improved reading skills and that parents reported increased confidence and civic engagement.
Dr. Tandra Taylor, assistant professor of history and interim director of the Institute for Community Justice and Racial Equity at SIUE, presented the university’s Freedom School program to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees and described a 2025 expansion that grew the program from 50 to 150 students across three sites: Edwardsville, Alton and East St. Louis.
Dr. Taylor told trustees Freedom School is a six-week, immersive literacy program that pairs college students with elementary and middle-school participants to make reading “fun” through music, chants and culturally relevant texts. She said the…
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