The Office of Denver Catholic Schools has announced an extended partnership with Learning Ally, a nonprofit
organization that provides programs and services to assist students who struggle with reading, made possible thanks in large part to a generous donation of more than $200,000 made by the Zarlengo Foundation.
“Thanks to the Zarlengo Foundation and other donors, we have been able to partner with Learning Ally to access more than 80,000 audio books to support our readers who benefit from that assistive technology,” said Mary Cohen, assistant superintendent of Denver Catholic schools.
A principals meeting was held at the Pastoral Center on March 9 announcing the expanded partnership. Two students from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School shared their success stories in using Learning Ally.
Learning Ally was launched as a pilot program in Summer of 2015, initially growing to support 260 students in six archdiocesan schools, a press release said. The expanded program in the Archdiocese of Denver will reach all 36 archdiocesan schools and increase the number of students served by Learning Ally to more than 8,000 students across Colorado.
The partnership with Learning Ally is a part of a larger plan that the Office of Catholic Schools is working on to better address students in their schools who face learning challenges.
“The challenge we face as a school system is providing the best instruction and assistive technologies for students with learning challenges,” Cohen said. “We will never have the resources to meet all special needs students in our system but we are committed to seeking support to assist as many as possible.”
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