Examining the effects of New York Experience Corps® program on young readers

There are hundreds of tutoring programs that utilize community volunteers being implemented across the country; however, there are few rigorous efforts to evaluate their effectiveness. This article presents findings on reading achievement from an evaluation of the New York City Experience Corps®, a program that uses older volunteers to work with students in public elementary schools. Two hundred and eighty-eight first- and second-grade students participated in a pre-test/post-test two group design with randomization to assess the impact of the program on their reading abilities. Reading was assessed using the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) and Early Childhood Literary Assessment System (ECLAS). Results indicate that Experience Corps is effective at improving reading scores. This study provides evidence that older volunteers can be successfully utilized to tutor young readers.