Across the U.S., many students in school find themselves struggling with certain subjects, such as math or reading.
Tutoring programs exist throughout the country to assist students by offering additional help, with AmeriCorps being one of them.
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connect Americans each year by providing service to meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, health, and homeland security.
The agency provides programs that focus on six key areas that help the country. These areas include disaster services, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, veterans and military families, and education.
Early Learning Corps, Math Corps, and Reading Corps are several programs that provide assistance in education. The programs aid students and schools by providing tutors in schools to work with students during the school day.
According to Reading and Math, Iowa Reading Corps was launched in 2013 and has helped more than 13,800 students become proficient in reading and literary skills.
Students from the Iowa City Community School District are included in those numbers.
Renee Pearson, principal of Kirkwood Elementary, said the program has positively affected students’ reading levels over the years.
“As a school that is a Title One school and has a lot of students that come from a lot of diverse backgrounds, some that are learning English as a second language, students just require a little bit more intervention to get up a level,” Pearson said.
Kirkwood currently has a Reading Corps tutor who serves 17 kindergarten through third-grade students daily. The students who receive assistance are below the benchmark for reading and literary proficiency.
“The goal is that, hopefully, we can kind of give them an extra dose of intensive instruction to get them over that hump into proficiency,” Pearson said.
Kirkwood and Reading Corps both pay close attention to the weekly data collected from the tutoring sensitives. Once the data is received, interventions may increase to make sure students are reaching the goal or to have the students graduate from the program.
Pearson said Kirkwood families and teachers have enjoyed the program.
“Our teachers are really grateful to be able to provide quality intervention instruction outside of the classroom, and families are always really excited to hear the progress and just excited for the opportunity that their student has to get that direct reading instruction,” Pearson said.
Program Director of Iowa Reading Corps Becca Eastman spoke more about the program’s impact and how it benefits students in their reading and literary skills.
Eastman said the program’s goal is to provide additional support, in the form of tutors, to schools’ non-proficient kindergarten through third-grade readers.
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“For the 2023-24 school year, 75 percent of the students we see in our program are achieving or progressing at an accelerated rate of growth,” Eastman said. “Our students exceed the expectations for gaining those literacy skills, and once they reach proficiency, we are seeing that they stay proficient and no longer need reading interventions or different reading resources.”
The Reading Corp members are trained on 10 different data-driven literacy interventions, Eastman said. After completing the training, the members then work with students one-on-one, or in pairs, for 20 minutes a day for five days a week until they become proficient readers.
Within the school setting, Eastman said, the schools also designate a staff member, such as an instructional coach or reading specialist. The staff member receives training as well along with support from a coaching specialist, which is a literacy expert, to offer external support.
Eastman said the Iowa Reading Corps is currently working on expanding the program. The program is seeking out additional schools or host sites to place Reading Corps tutors.
“We’re looking to continue to grow the program statewide and hoping to forge some new partnerships,” Eastman said.
Iowa City Community School District Board Member Jayne Finch praised the partnership and work between the district and the several programs AmeriCorps offers.
“I really appreciate the staff putting this together because it extends the services that we know or need in the area and district,” Finch said. “Great work and taking advantage of this opportunity.”
Pearson said she hopes the Iowa City Community School District and Kirkwood Elementary will continue the partnership, but funding may halt the program.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to retain this because we do see a lot of growth and progress that comes from it,” Pearson said. “It’s definitely a priority that I would like for us to focus on.”