SEARCH & FILTER

Literacy First

High-Impact Tutoring Characteristics

Literacy First has earned the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) Tutoring Program Design Badge. This program has shared documented evidence that their program design fulfills the research-backed core characteristics of high-impact tutoring.

Please see Tutoring Program Design Badge  for more details about how a program earns the Badge and the Tutoring Quality Standards for more information on all high-impact tutoring characteristics.

Organization and Contact

Organization Type
Nonprofit
Website Address
https://www.literacyfirst.org/
Headquarter Location (City, State)
Austin, TX
Contact Name
Claire Hagen Alvarado, Literacy First Director
Contact Email
literacyfirst@austin.utexas.edu

Program Overview

Mission

Literacy First teaches young children how to read, equipping them to excel in life and realize their dreams.

Program Description

Literacy First tutors work with kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade students through daily one-on-one sessions designed to strengthen their early reading and comprehension skills. This program teaches students literacy skills in Spanish or English based on students' linguistic backgrounds and instructional settings.

Type of service
Tutoring Program
Year Started
1994
States of Operation
Tennessee,
Texas
Operation Locations
Central Texas; Fort Worth, TX; Chattanooga, TN

Students and Offerings

Most recent number of students served
2,300
Grade Levels
Kindergarten,
1st Grade,
2nd Grade,
3rd Grade
Subject Offered
Reading
Languages Offered
English, Spanish

Delivery Model and Staffing

Delivery Mode
In-Person
Setting
During School
Tutor-Student Ratio
1:1
Number of Sessions Per Week
5
Number of Minutes Per Session
30
Type of Tutor
Paraprofessional, AmeriCorps members
Percentage of tutors who can speak a language other than English
45% Spanish speaking
Does your program engage with parents?
Yes
Family Engagement Description

We engage families through offering workshops about supporting students learning at home, and through sending home reading materials.

Customer and Cost

Customer Type
District, School, Nonprofit
Cost to District/ School/ Non-Profit
Fee for service ranges from $5,000-$40,000 per campus based on program model and number of tutors employed.

Research Evidence

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) study conducted?
Yes
RCT Citation

https://literacyfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AIR-Literacy-First-K-1-Report_FINAL_July-2019.pdf

RCT effect size
.24 to .83
Quasi-experimental (QED) study conducted?
Yes
QED citation

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwLtQMfLWmgCzKxWZtLWCbTVkFC?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwLtQMfLWmgCzKxWZtLWCbTVkFC?projector=1&messagePartId=0.3