New Evaluation Study of AmeriCorps tutoring program

Posted by on March 31, 2014

An independent third-party evaluation of Minnesota Reading Corps, the nation’s largest AmeriCorps tutoring program, has found that elementary students tutored by AmeriCorps members achieved significantly higher literacy levels than students without such tutors, and that the impacts were statistically significant even among  students at higher risk for academic failure.

The study, released earlier this month by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) also found that the tutoring model is replicable in multiple school settings using AmeriCorps members with varied backgrounds.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-our-nation/research-and-reports/impact-evaluation-minnesota-reading-corps

“In a world where resources continue to be tight and the stakes couldn’t be higher for our children, the Corporation for National and Community Service is investing in understanding what works and putting precious resources into expanding programs with strong results,” said Jim Shelton, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education.  “That’s a model not only for running programs but for changing lives at scale.”

“This research provides solid proof that AmeriCorps boosts student literacy levels – an essential step towards achieving success in school and in life,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS.

Minnesota Reading Corps, a strategic initiative of ServeMinnesota, currently engages more than 1,100 AmeriCorps members at 700 public schools and Head Start centers throughout the state. Last year its AmeriCorps members served 30,000 students in Minnesota.

With support from CNCS and matching funds from private sector and other sources, the Reading Corps program has expanded to seven additional states and the District of Columbia. Altogether, more than 1,250 AmeriCorps members are using the Reading Corps model to serve 35,000 students across the country this year.

Visit our Research and Evaluation section to learn more about this important new research.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-our-nation/research-and-reports