Inkandescent Kids

July62013

Reading Partners CEO Michael Lombardo Helps Kids Master the Fundamentals

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Inkandescent Entrepreneur Show
Reading Partners CEO Michael Lombardo Helps Kids Master the Fundamentals
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Reading Partners is a national nonprofit organization that provides volunteer-led, one-on-one literacy tutoring to more than 5,500 elementary school students in 103 schools in low-income communities across six states and the District of Columbia.

It delivers a highly effective, research-validated program that has helped thousands of children master the fundamental reading skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.

We are here today in Oakland, CA with the organization’s CEO, Michael Lombardo, to learn more about this exciting initiative, and how across the country, more and more leaders are recognizing how critically important it is for children to master reading in elementary school.

In this podcast interview we learn:

  • The history, goals and mission of Reading Partners.
  • How the program works—and how you can volunteer to help one of the nation’s children reading below grade level.
  • Why so many kids struggle to learn to read.
  • Whether things are looking up!

Download the podcast now!

And for more information about Reading Partners’ DC Chapter, click here to read an article by Lisa Lazarus, Regional Executive Director of the MidAtlantic.

About the show: From the mouths of kids come the most profound thoughts and ideas. On the Inkandescent® Kids Show, we take it one step further with interviews by kids, for kids. Yes, there are a few adults involved, too, including experts on parenting, education, and more!

Read all about it: Launched on August 8, 2025, InkandescentKids.com magazine is on a mission to teach kids from kindergarten to college to think critically, like a reporter. Students are welcome to submit articles, photos, illustrations, videos, puzzles, games, and more for review and publication.

We also offer classes: 

  • Journalism (3 sessions): I am an award-winning reporter and teach the journalism classes. In Class 1, the assignment is to be part of our “So You Want to be a …” book project, in which they interview a parent about their work. They learn how to do research, develop interview questions, and practice asking the questions; then they write the article, and we work on it together until it’s ready for our student editors to copyedit and publish it.
  • Photojournalism (2 sessions): Our Inkandescent photographer, AnnaGibbs.com, guides students through the process of taking photos for the articles. She teaches them the essentials of taking a good photograph, how to capture the essence of the story they are working on, and, once she approves the images, we send them to our editorial team for inclusion in the article.
  • Illustration (4 sessions): Award-winning illustrator michaelglenwood.com works with students to create artwork to accompany the articles. He teaches them to identify the main concepts in the article they are working on, create 3 sketches for editor review, and then craft the illustration. Upon his review and approval, it goes to the editorial team.
  • Videos and podcasts (4 sessions): With me, Inkandescent’s video and podcast producer, Nelson Benavides, teaches students how to capture the essence of an interview through video and podcasting. He focuses on helping students understand the technical aspects of production.
  • Newsroom (6 sessions): Our InkandescentKids editor, Ellen Smith, is building our student newsrooms that include a team of editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, and a layout team. In addition to our online magazine, they help us craft a bi-monthly printable publication that features a theme. This September-October theme is New Beginnings.

Click here for pricing and payment options, and learn how to join our InkandescentKids family!

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MEET THE INKANDESCENT® RADIO TEAM

Hope Katz Gibbs, Founder & Executive Producer, InkandescentRadio.com

Brandi Wilsker-Merritt, Director of Podcasting

Nelson Benavides, Director of Videography

Max KukoyInkandescent Website Developer

Michael GibbsInkandescent Art Director

 

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