Planning for summer reading right off the bat establishes it as something that happens consistently every year, rather than a one-off project for the coming summer.

This tracking software is being used nationwide, on millions of students. But many parents and community members remain unaware of its existence.

"We have not yet arrived but we are certainly on our way," is how Superintendent Michael Daria describes, enthusiastically and honestly, the progress students are making at Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama.

Students aren't the only ones struggling. School staff face increased pressure to support the rising number of students in need of help—at a time when educators themselves are at a breaking point.