Abstract

Nationwide, AmeriCorps programs have answered the call to help ensure all children can read by third grade. Slightly more than half of all AmeriCorps programs provide educational activities in their communities, and more than one-third provide tutoring in reading. A research study by Abt Associates Inc. found that students tutored by AmeriCorps members improved their reading performance more than the gain expected of a typical child at their grade level. The AmeriCorps Tutoring Outcomes Study also found students made the most gains in programs when they met with their tutors at least three times per week and programs conducted formal evaluations, trained tutors both prior to and during the tutoring program, and were moderately or fully implemented.

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Issue

Improving the educational achievement of American children and youth has become increasingly important due to the globalization of the economy and the expanding demands of a technological society. To succeed in this new environment, children and adults alike must be able to read and comprehend text without difficulty. To read well is a critical cornerstone for successful academic performance and meaningful professional and personal development. Reading performance in the early grades is particularly important since it is a key determinant of future academic success.

There are few large, well-controlled studies that examine the effectiveness of school-based volunteer activities, nor is there overwhelming evidence about the effectiveness of tutoring as a way to teach reading to students who are having difficulty. This study by Abt Associates set out to determine whether the AmeriCorps tutoring programs were in fact positively impacting the reading skills of thousands of children.

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Action

AmeriCorps tutoring programs do make a difference. Students participating in AmeriCorps tutoring programs improved their reading performance from pretest to post-test more than the gain expected for the typical child at their grade level. Reading comprehension and reading skills started out below grade-level; by year-end, students closed the gap and were reading at or near the grade-level expectation. This finding holds for students at all grade levels tested — first, second and third grades. Not only are the gains statistically significant, they are also large enough to signify real improvement in students' reading abilities. The magnitude of the reading gains was the same for students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Four program-level effective tutoring practices were related to student gains in reading skills:

• Tutoring sessions occur at least three times a week. Nearly all the AmeriCorps tutors met with the students at least twice a week. About half of the program directors reported that tutors met with students at least three times a week. Nearly half of the program directors reported that tutoring sessions lasted between 30 and 60 minutes; another 44 percent of program directors indicated that sessions lasted between 15 and 30 minutes.
• Tutors receive training both prior to and during the course of tutoring. Training tutors, particularly ones with limited prior experience tutoring reading, is a critical component of a successful tutoring program. More than 90 percent of directors reported that AmeriCorps tutors received training in reading materials.
• Program is at least moderately or fully implemented. Fully implemented programs had all components in place and were operating as planned. One-third of the program directors indicated that their program was fully implemented; another 47 percent of the program directors indicated that their program was moderately implemented.
• Programs evaluate the effectiveness of their tutoring activities. The majority of program directors (73 percent) reported that they conduct a formal evaluation. Information from the evaluation can contribute to program improvement. For each of these effective practices, students showed significantly higher gains in reading skills than students in programs without these practices.

Students participating in programs with all four effective practices implemented were likely to show the greatest gains in reading skills compared to their counterparts in programs that had three or less of these tutoring practices. Students in programs with all four effective practices gained an average of 5.4 points between pretest and post-test, which is significantly more than students in programs with three practices, who gained only 2.5 points. Students in programs that reported none of the four effective practices gained less than one point on the reading test.

The study also examined the relationship between tutoring programming and gains in reading comprehension. Programs where tutors did not coordinate their tutoring practices with classroom instruction were associated with larger student gains. Since the relationship is counterintuitive, it merits additional exploration. No other program-level components were significantly related to gains in reading comprehension. Even though students made significant gains in reading comprehension, the gains were not related to program-level effective practices. The results from the study suggest that effective practices, such as the frequency of tutoring sessions, may have greater impact on students' reading mechanics than on reading comprehension.

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Context

Slightly more than half of the AmeriCorps programs nationwide provide educational activities in their communities, and more than one-third provide tutoring in reading.

Of the students tutored by AmeriCorps members, approximately 20 percent of students scored in the low average range and 57 to 64 percent were average on reading comprehension. On reading skills, approximately 30 percent of students scored in the low average range and about half were average.

Most AmeriCorps tutors were female (85 percent) and ranged in age from 17 to 80, with the average age of 27. Nearly half of the tutors were between 20 and 25 years of age. Most of the tutors have completed some college (82 percent) but only about one-third had a college degree.

The majority of AmeriCorps tutoring programs implemented tutoring practices that the research has found to be effective in helping struggling students learn to read. More than 70 percent of programs were moderately or fully implemented, conducted formal evaluations, coordinated tutoring activities with classroom reading instruction, and provided training to tutors both before and during the course of tutoring.

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Citation

Abt Associates Inc. AmeriCorps Tutoring and Student Reading Achievements. Washington, D.C.: Corporation for National and Community Service, February 2001.

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Outcome

Tutored students improved their reading performance from pretest to post-test more than the gain expected for the typical child at their grade level. Reading comprehension and reading skills started out below grade-level; by year-end, students closed the gap and were reading at or near the grade-level expectation.

The magnitude of reading gains was the same for students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. White students and non-white students showed the same level of gains.

Program staff anticipated that the special attention students received through tutoring would have positive effects on their classroom behavior. However, there were only modest gains in this area. In general, teachers rated most students in the normal or expected range at pretest.

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Evidence

The Corporation for National and Community Service contracted Abt Associates Inc. to conduct the tutoring outcomes study during the 1999-2000 school year. Results are based on pretest and post-test data from 869 students in grades one, two, and three receiving tutoring services in 68 programs serving 93 schools nationwide. Trained field staff administered a standardized reading test at the beginning of tutoring and at the end of the school year to students in grades one, two and three. In addition to student test data, 293 tutors and 369 teachers provided further information through rating scales and activity records collected at the same two points in time. Teachers also rated students' classroom behaviors at the same time points.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Planning the tutoring session
• Developing a tutoring program
• Helping discouraged learners

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