Effective and Promising Practices of 61 America Reads Partnerships
The following practices that contributed to the success of America Reads are
applicable to any volunteer reading tutoring program.
The tutoring program partnership
Partnerships work well if they include the following:
- A clear definition of the roles, responsibilities, and accountability of partners
- Active partner participation and frequent communication
- A diverse knowledge base among partners
- A plan for sustainability and capacity building
- An effective steering committee
- A proactive, well-qualified program director
- Strong school and teacher commitment
- Effective and sustainable tutor recruitment
- Access to groups of tutors via universities, civic organizations, businesses, etc.
Operational norms
For success, a tutoring program needs:
- A coordinator who ideally is a reading specialist or education professional
- Consistent onsite supervision of tutors
- Recruitment, training, and placement of tutors early in the school year
- Orientation and training programs for parents to enable them to support tutoring efforts
- Systematic record keeping of tutoring session plans and student assessments
- Tutoring sessions that support district curriculum and classroom instruction
- Tutor commitment
Tutor training
Training efforts are maximized when:
- Training is based on a clearly defined and documented, research-based training model
- Trainers receive training
- Feedback from tutors is used to modify the training curriculum
- Training accommodates tutors' varying expertise, learning styles, and schedules
- Preservice training covers substantive content
- Ongoing training and onsite support exists, such as:
- Tutor consultations with a seasoned tutor, reading specialist, or teacher
- Observation, feedback, and positive reinforcement of tutor performance
- Support and guidance for tutoring session planning
- Recognition and appreciation of tutors
High quality materials
Successful programs have developed or provided:
- A program-specific handbook and resource library for tutors
- A tutor-training manual
- A rich selection of children's books and consumable materials
- Materials that support school standards
- Planning, record-keeping, and assessment tools
