How to Spend $50,000
In their reports to the regional educational laboratories, partnerships were asked to list their first five priorities for use of the America Reads funds. The following compilation of their responses indicates key areas of program expenditures.
Program Marketing and Recruitment
To attract and involve contributing partners, programs used funds for:
- Advertisement of the program in the community: television and radio spots, newspaper advertisements and articles
- Family outreach
- Recruitment of volunteer tutors
Staff
Programs used funds for wages and/or benefits for the following staff or consultants:
- Program coordinator or manager
- Onsite coordinator to work with program coordinator, tutors, and teachers
- Reading specialist or consultant
- Consultant to develop tutor-training modules and ongoing support strategies
- Tutor-training coordinator (full time or part time)
- Trainer(s) to design and deliver training
- Host teacher coordinators
- Project evaluator
- Support staff
- Teacher compensation for planning, extracurricular meetings and follow-up
- Tutor compensation
University and Federal Work-Study Programs
These expenses were specific to college and university-based programs:
- Marketing to Federal Work-Study students and financial aid offices
- Incentives for financial aid offices to support tutor training for Federal Work-Study students
- Enlisting the collaboration of college faculty
- Fielding preservice tutor training at each participating college campus
Training
Funds were used for:
- Training of trainers
- Training of tutor coordinators and cooperating teachers
- Tutor orientation; ongoing and inservice training; and follow-up sessions
- Electronic or distance-learning training for rural or remote schools
- Summer training institutes
Training Materials and Logistics
Programs used funds for these training-related items:
- Development of tutor-training materials, including manuals and videos
- Consumable supplies for training sessions
- Rental of training space
Materials for the Tutoring Session
Funds were used for these expenses related directly to the tutoring session:
- Development of tutoring session materials
- Instructional materials and consumable supplies
- Kits for tutors
- Leveled books, storybooks, children's literature, and magazines
- Computers and literacy software games
- Internal literacy reference library and tutoring manuals for tutors
- Treats and rewards for students
- Books, magazines, and photocopies of skills games for students to take home
Operations and Logistics
Programs used funds to pay for the following overhead items:
- Advisory board meetings
- Regional meetings to encourage networking and sharing of ideas and resources
- Office expenses: rent, supplies, telephone, Internet access, etc.
- Mailing and postage
- Web site creation and maintenance
- Database maintenance
- Photocopying and printing
- Rental of classroom space
- Electronic or distance learning tutorial services for schools in rural or remote areas
- Transportation of tutors, staff, and parents
Assessment
Programs used funds for:
- Evaluator to assess training efforts and their impact on children's literacy
- Development and implementation of assessment instruments to evaluate students'
abilities and tutor and program effectiveness
- Monitoring and evaluation documentation for Federal Work-Study tutors to assess
the degree to which skills learned in tutor training are applied
Volunteer Program Participant Recognition
Programs allocated funds to recognize participants' efforts through:
- Outreach and rewards for parents who become coaches
- Thank-you gifts for classroom teachers' follow-up and planning
- Rewards for strong site facilitators
- Recognition of and compensation for exemplary Federal Work-Study college coordinators
- Awards for successful tutors and students: movie and ballgame tickets, fast food coupons, etc.
- Recognition of volunteers: thank-you cards, holiday notes from students, social events, plaques, and end-of-year recognition events
