Links-to-Literacy In-School Literacy Promotion

Research on effective tutoring models is very clear that paraprofessional or volunteer tutors must be trained in best practices and supported and supervised in their job by knowledgeable staff (Wasik,1998). Unfortunately, America Reads has never funded ongoing training, support and supervision. This has been a major obstacle to creating effective America Reads programs nationally. The history of the America Reads Challenge is littered with programs with good intentions that failed to deliver significant achievement results because tutors received minimal training and were not well supervised or supported (Edmondson, 2000). Programs sent hundreds of work-study tutors into classrooms, and the onus fell on already-overburdened teachers to direct and supervise them. Attrition was high, teachers were not satisfied with the programs and very little real learning was accomplished. Other programs, also short-lived, relied on university faculty in education to design and implement programs with no compensation for the extra work.

America Counts

This fall the Service-Learning Program in collaboration with the Office of Student Financial Aid launched an America Counts tutoring program. America Counts is a Federal Work Study program that allows the federal government to pay 100 percent FWS student's wages if he or she works as a math tutor for local schools and community-based organizations. In this initiative, over 50 MSU work-study students participated in STAR Calculations, a math program that is part of the STARS after-school program in Montclair Public Schools. The STARS after school program is one of three achievement gap programs that provide an opportunity for children who are performing below grade level to complete their homework assignments and a variety of reading and math activities with the guidance of MPS teachers. STAR Calculations is intended to help fill the gap between home and school by providing math enrichment to students enrolled in the program. To accomplish these goals the Montclair Board of Education (MBOE) Department of Instruction developed a tutoring manual of grade level math activities that are aligned with New Jersey mathematic standards. With training, support, and supervision provided MBOE and service-learning staff, MSU America Counts tutors use the manual to guide them in their work with STARS students. Among other activities, the America Counts tutors teach STARS students how to use calculators to support their math instruction.