A randomized field trial involving 883 students at 23 schools in three urban cities assessed the effectiveness of Experience Corps® (EC), a program that places older adult volunteers in elementary schools to tutor students who are poor readers. Students were assessed at the beginning and end of the academic year with standardized reading measures. Program effects were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to adjust for clustering effects. Findings demonstrated that EC students made statistically greater gains over the academic year on passage comprehension and grade-specific reading skills. The gains were stronger for students who received at least 35 tutoring sessions. These findings indicate that older community volunteers can be effectively deployed to improve reading achievement in low income, ethnic minority children who are at risk of reading failure.
Publication
Education and Urban Society, 44(1), 97–118
Link to study
Year of Study
2012
Subject
Literacy
Program Name
Experience Corps
Program Evaluated
program that places older adult volunteers in elementary schools to tutor students who are poor readers
Tutor Type
Volunteer
Duration
16 weeks
Sample size
881
Grade Level(s)
Kindergarten,
1st Grade,
2nd Grade,
3rd Grade,
4th Grade,
5th Grade
Student-Tutor Ratio
1
Effect Size
0.08
Study Design
Randomized Controlled Trial
Lee, Y. S., Morrow-Howell, N., Jonson-Reid, M., & McCrary, S. (2012). The Effect of the Experience Corps® Program on Student Reading Outcomes. Education and Urban Society, 44(1), 97–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124510381262