SERVEMINNESOTA

READING CORPS MINNESOTA READING CORPS IS A STATEWIDE LITERACY PROGRAM THAT IS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MINNESOTA CHILDREN WHO ARE PROFICIENT READERS BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS BENCHMARK IS CRITICAL TO LATER SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE: AFTER THIRD GRADE, STUDENTS APPLY THEIR READING SKILLS TO LEARN THE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX, MULTIDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION INTRODUCED IN FOURTH GRADE AND BEYOND. THOSE WHO READ PROFICIENTLY BY THIRD GRADE ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT.MINNESOTA READING CORPS TRAINS AND PLACES AMERICORPS MEMBERS TO PROVIDE HIGH-IMPACT TUTORING TO STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 WHO NEED AN EXTRA BOOST TO CATCH UP TO GRADE LEVEL TARGETS. THE PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PLACE HIGHLY TRAINED AND PROFESSIONALLY SUPPORTED AMERICORPS MEMBERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. READING CORPS TUTORS ARE TRAINED IN SPECIFIC EVIDENCE-BASED LITERACY INTERVENTIONS, AND ARE SUPPORTED BY BOTH SITE-BASED EDUCATIONAL STAFF AS WELL AS COACHING SPECIALISTS WHO ARE AMONG MINNESOTA'S TOP LITERACY EXPERTS. WITH ACCESS TO THE LATEST RESEARCH ON READING INTERVENTION STRATEGIES, THESE TRAINED AMERICORPS TUTORS WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH STUDENTS AS WELL AS IN SMALL GROUP SETTINGS. THEY PROVIDE TAILORED INTERVENTIONS SO THAT EACH CHILD CAN GAIN THE LITERACY SKILLS THEY NEED AT A RATE TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL READERS BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE.READING CORPS PROVIDES WHAT EARLY READERS NEED INDIVIDUALIZED, DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION; WELL-TRAINED TUTORS; EXPERT COACHING; INTERVENTIONS DELIVERED WITH FIDELITY; AND THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION NECESSARY FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. THIS MODEL HAS BEEN VALIDATED AS EFFECTIVE AND REPLICABLE THROUGH FOUR RIGOROUS AND INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS BY NORC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. THESE STUDIES CONFIRMED THAT READING CORPS IS PROVEN TO WORK AND PARTICIPANTS ARE ACHIEVING OUTCOMES EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN THEIR PEERS. THOSE WHO STARTED FURTHER BEHIND MADE THE GREATEST GAINS. IN ADDITION, READING CORPS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES STUDENT LITERACY OUTCOMES IN ANY SETTING URBAN, SUBURBAN, OR RURAL. FURTHER, RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE CENTER FOR LEARNING SOLUTIONS HAS SHOWN THAT READING CORPS PARTICIPANTS ARE THREE TIMES LESS LIKELY TO BE ASSIGNED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION THAN NON-PARTICIPANTS, CREATING A PERMANENT BENEFIT TO CHILDREN AND A SIGNIFICANT ONGOING SAVINGS TO SCHOOLS THAT CAN BE REDIRECTED TO THE CLASSROOM FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL CHILDREN. READING CORPS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EVIDENCE BY THE EVIDENCE FOR ESSA CLEARINGHOUSE AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY AND BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WHAT WORKS CLEARINGHOUSE. READING CORPS IS SPECIFICALLY NAMED IN MINNESOTA'S READ ACT AS AN ALIGNED, EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION FOR ADVANCING LITERACY OUTCOMES ACROSS THE STATE. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, SERVEMINNESOTA DEMONSTRATES THE CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT LARGE-SCALE INITIATIVES. FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, MINNESOTA READING CORPS HAS HELPED MORE THAN 337,000 STUDENTS PROGRESS TOWARD READING PROFICIENCY BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE. LAST YEAR, 76% OF K-3 STUDENTS EXCEEDED THEIR GROWTH GOALS, BRINGING THEIR INITIAL SKILL LEVEL CLOSER TO OR ACHIEVING THEIR GRADE LEVEL TARGET. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND STAFF APPRECIATE THE ADDED SUPPORT FOR THEIR STUDENTS. A YEAR-END SURVEY SHOWS 98% OF ADMINISTRATORS BELIEVE THE PROGRAM HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR SITE AND STUDENTS. TEACHERS AGREE THAT THE PROGRAM HELPS REACH MORE STUDENTS AND BELIEVE READING CORPS HELPS INCREASE THEIR STUDENTS' CONFIDENCE IN READING.

AMERICORPS AMERICORPS PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRY EACH YEAR. PEOPLE WHO JOIN AMERICORPS COMMIT TO A THREE TO 12-MONTH TERM OF SERVICE IN EXCHANGE FOR A MODEST LIVING ALLOWANCE AND AN EDUCATION AWARD THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO PAST OR FUTURE SCHOOLING. AMERICORPS IS REAL-LIFE EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE WRAPPED INTO ONE. THE AMERICORPS MOTTO IS "GET THINGS DONE AND MEMBERS ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES. AMERICORPS MEMBERS TUTOR AND MENTOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH, BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TEACH COMPUTER SKILLS, CLEAN PARKS AND STREAMS, PROVIDE SUPPORT TO AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND HELP COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO DISASTERS. THEY ALSO RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND SUPERVISE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS TO EXTEND AND COMPLEMENT THEIR COMMUNITY EFFORTS. SINCE ITS CREATION IN 1994, SERVEMINNESOTA HAS MOBILIZED 41,000 AMERICORPS MEMBERS WHO HAVE TRAINED AND SUPPORTED MORE THAN 500,000 VOLUNTEERS.