October 21, 2013

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to recommend Claire Henry for the Mills College Masters in Early Childhood
Education program. I supervised Claire for two years at Reading Partners, during which time
she was an exceptional Site Coordinator. Her key responsibility was to manage a
volunteer-based tutoring program in a Title I elementary school, which included coaching tutors
and offering high-quality standards-based literacy tutoring to struggling readers.

Claire was a pleasure to work with. One of her greatest strengths was her commitment to
students. Claire showed up on time and ready to give 100% every single day at her school site.
She also consistently brought a positive attitude to working with several of the most challenging
students at the school. One student, as part of his behavior plan, would come in to the
Reading Partners room to read silently when he needed a break. The relationship Claire built
with this student demonstrates the compassion, patience and consistent expectations she
brings to all her relationships. Most of her students not only narrowed their gap in reading, but
also developed greater confidence as learners as a result of the time they spent in her tutoring
center.

Claire also demonstrated the organizational skills necessary to be successful in graduate school
and beyond. She is great at prioritizing and somehow manages to get two days worth of tasks
done in only one – a great gift for an educator. These administrative strengths benefit her
students by allowing her to show up prepared with a clear vision for the day. While she
planned ahead, Claire also responded well to unexpected challenges like tutor absences.
During challenging times, she remains positive and open to feedback and consequently
perseveres. For example, one year Reading Partners participated in a control-group study that
negatively impacted teacher relationships and enrollment. Claire proved herself resilient as well
as organized during this challenging yearlong external study. Specifically, she exceeded her
enrollment goal of 45 and enrolled 53 students that year and teachers “overall experience with
Reading Partners” based on an end of year survey was 4.5/5, a high score.

I have every confidence in Claire’s abilities and know she would make a great addition to your
program. Please contact me if you have any questions at all, 562-519-0433,
Katherine.Koller@readingpartners.org.

Sincerely,

Katherine Koller
Program Manager
Reading Partners

180 Grand Avenue #800 ​|​ Oakland, CA 94612 |

​ ​ (510) 444-9800 ​|​ www.readingpartners.org