Washington Reading Corps (WRC) is a statewide literacy-support program designed to support the development of “school readiness” skills for children in early learning centers and to improve academic performance in reading for elementary school students. The literacy activities and reading tutoring WRC Members provide directly address assessed student needs and are aligned with state standards and best practices in literacy development and reading support.
Study Goals:
The goal of this study was to measure differences in literacy-skill and reading growth between two groups of Washington State public school students in grades K through 4:
- A treatment group, who received WRC tutoring in combination with other services provided through the Washington State Learning Assistance Program - English Language Arts (LAP ELA)
- A comparison group, who received other LAP ELA services, but no WRC tutoring
Research Questions:
The research questions were:
- To what extent do months of growth differ between Tier 2 students served by a combination of WRC tutoring and other LAP ELA services and Tier 2 students served only by other LAP ELA services?
- To what extent does the work of WRC Members impact the culture of reading in the school and in the local community?
Findings:
The evaluation found the following:
- No statistically significant differences in months of reading growth were found between students who received a combination of WRC tutoring and other LAP ELA services and students who received only other LAP ELA services.
- The effect of WRC tutoring on reading growth does not differ significantly by student demographics, such as income status (as indicated by eligibility for the federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program) or ethnicity.
- Site staff at schools where WRC Members are placed perceive a significant, positive impact for WRC on the culture of reading at their schools. Site Supervisors interviewed expressed a high regard for the WRC program and for the members placed at their sites. Their praise for the program was consistent and effusive.
For more information, download the full report.
Full report
Further information
Program/Intervention
Washington Reading Corps-Fixed
Implementing Organization
WA State Employment Security Department
Intermediary(s)
WA State Employment Security Department
AmeriCorps Program(s)
AmeriCorps State and National
Age(s) Studied
0-5 (Early childhood)
Focus Population(s)/Community(s)
Schools
Outcome Category
K-12 success
Study Type(s)
Impact
Study Design(s)
Quasi-Experimental (QED)
Level of Evidence
Strong
Researcher/Evaluator
Patrice Tetta, Jordan Baker, and Amanual Medhanie
Published Year
2019
Study Site Location (State)
Washington