Tutor Resources

There is a wide range of free resources available to national service tutor programs. Following is a brief sampling of resources developed by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Education, and/or LEARNS.

The following documents can be ordered through the National Service Resource Center (NSRC), online at: www.etr.org/NSRC/pubs_distribution.html, or by phone at: 800-860-2684, ext. 260.

Tutor training:
On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners. Addresses the knowledge and skills necessary to support reading tutoring programs. Topics include how most children learn to read, how tutors can help young readers, and how community partnerships support the progress of literacy.

Reading Helpers: A Handbook for Training Tutors. Outlines 36 hours of training for tutors working with pre – K through third-grade readers. Includes lesson plans, transparency templates, handouts, and a resource list. Intended for use with On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners.

LEARNS Videos: Lisa and Crystal: Learning To Read; Rosa and Melany: Reading in English; and Yolene and Blayn: Reading Comprehension. Depicts actual tutoring sessions, allowing viewers to observe, analyze, and discuss the strategies and activities used. Discussion guides are included with all videos.

Assessment:
LEARNS Literacy Assessment Profile (LLAP). Serves as a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool for capturing the reading and writing progress of children who work with tutors in national service programs and provides a system for programs to report achievement data to funders.

Program support:
Growing a Volunteer Tutor Program: Engaging Communities To Support Schools. Offers advice for the critical start-up year of a volunteer tutor program. Addresses tutor recruitment, training, and support, among other issues.

Making an Impact on Out-of-School Time. Helps programs become more effectively involved in enhancing the quality of out-of-school time programs for young people aged five to 14. Included are ideas and suggestions, resource lists, tip sheets, and other materials that can be used in training members and volunteers.

Web resources:
LEARNS: www.nwrel.org/learns. Offers downloadable resources, including games, training activities, and practical tips and strategies for literacy, mentor, and tutor programs. Also available are back issues of The Tutor, on topics such as Reading Aloud To Build Comprehension, Working With Preschool Children, and Motivating Reluctant Adolescent Readers.

Bank Street College of Education: www.bankstreet.edu/literacyguide/. Includes resources, services, and research around literacy and other issues related to education, children, and families.

U.S. Department of Education: www.ed.gov/pubs. Provides access to a wealth of information for teachers, administrators, policymakers, researchers, parents, students, and others with an interest in education. Offerings include reports and studies on research and practice, newsletters and journals from the department, and an online publication ordering system.

National Service Resource Center: www.etr.org/nsrc. Provides services, resources, and links for programs funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. All the products listed above are available through NSRC.

America Counts Tutoring Road Map: www.ed.gov/americacounts/roadmap. Includes suggestions and materials for building and sustaining high-quality mathematics tutoring and mentoring programs.

National Mentoring Center: www.nwrel.org/mentoring. Offers a wide range of resources, including Strengthening Mentor Programs, a downloadable training curriculum, and free technical assistance packets.