December 26, 2014

United Way: Impacting Grade-Level Reading: Iowa Reading Corps

By Sara Wilson, United Way of Story County, originally published in the Ames Tribune

Earlier this month, we highlighted how important Grade-Level Reading is to the future of our students as well as our community. In subsequent weeks, this column is focusing on what United Way of Story County (UWSC) is doing to increase proficiency in reading at grade level. During the previous few weeks we described how important attendance, school readiness and out-of-school learning are to a child’s academic success. We told you UWSC convenes community partners to work on these areas through the Grade-Level Reading campaign.

The final component in this area is the Iowa Reading Corps, an exciting outcome of the Ames Reads collaboration.

The Iowa Reading Corps, a replication of the successful Minnesota Reading Corps, is a tutoring program to help increase the number of students who are reading at grade level. The program, managed by United Ways of Iowa, utilizes daily, one-on-one reading practice and is implemented in six Story County elementary schools this year – Ames (Sawyer), Ballard East, Ballard West, Collins-Maxwell, Colo-Nesco and Nevada.

Last school year, the first year of the program, three of the above Story County schools were involved. Because of the program’s success, Ballard East, Nevada and Sawyer renewed and more schools were able to be added. The program has grown from ten AmeriCorps members serving eight school districts statewide to 25 members serving 20 schools. The program places AmeriCorps members, trained as Elementary Literacy Tutors, in schools to implement literacy interventions for students who are just below proficiency in reading.

Click here to read more.

Filed under: Academic Learning Centers,Community

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