History
The America Reads Challenge started as a national initiative whose goal was to ensure that every child in the United States reads well and independently by the end of third grade. In December 1996, former University of Maryland President Kirwan was asked by the White House to join the America Reads College Presidents Steering Committee. Dr. Kirwan agreed, and in so doing, committed that the campus would use half of its substantial increase in Federal Work-Study funding for tutoring and related community service positions. He also pledged to direct additional campus resources to literacy activities. The University of Maryland became one of the first twenty universities to participate in America Reads. Currently, over 1,400 universities nationwide have America Reads programs.
In March 1997, Dr. Kirwan established the President’s Task Force for America Reads. The Task Force currently consists of key individuals from offices on campus, including the College of Education, the Office of Student Financial Aid, Commuter Affairs and Community Service, and School-University Cooperative Programs, as well as the Reading and Math Supervisors from the Prince George’s County Public School system (PGCPS). The Task Force meets regularly to discuss ongoing efforts and plan future directions.
In July 1997, members of the Task Force interviewed and hired three individuals to make up the America Reads staff. At present, the staff consists of a full-time Program Coordinator, a Coordinator of Outreach and Retention, a Reading Mentor Training Coordinator, a Math Mentor Training Coordinator, six PGCPS Trainers, and six student employees.
During the summer of 1997, the Task Force identified and invited eight elementary schools to participate in the program. These schools were selected by virtue of their proximity to campus, low reading scores, high poverty levels, and having a full-time Reading Specialist on staff. Beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year, one additional school was included in the Program. We are pleased to announce that all nine schools have accepted the invitation and will return for their sixth year with America Reads for the 2002-2003 academic year.
For the Fall 1997 semester, the America Reads staff recruited and trained over sixty students and placed them in the participating Prince George’s County elementary schools. The students, called Reading Mentors, form the University of Maryland America Reads Corps. In Spring 1998, the Corps grew to include eighty Reading Mentors. In its second year, the program piloted the position of Team Leader, an opportunity for experienced Mentors to serve in a leadership capacity, assisting school personnel with administrative duties and acting as liaison between the school, the Reading Mentors on site, and the America Reads*America Counts staff. For the 2002-2003 academic year, the Program will have a Team Leader at each site and place a total of over eighty Mentors in the participating schools.
Since the Program’s inception, more than 400 America Reads Mentors have served over 4,000 Prince George’s County children for more than 46,000 hours. Each Mentor receives twelve hours of pre-service training from the PGCPS Trainers and an additional six to eight hours of training and development during the semester. After receiving their initial training, Mentors work one-on-one with first, second, and third grade children in thirty-minute sessions, two to three times per week. The Mentoring Session Plan, based on the Reading Recovery education model, was designed in conjunction with the PGCPS Reading Supervisor to complement the reading instruction provided by the classroom teachers and Reading Specialists.
A number of evaluation instruments are used to gauge the effectiveness of the program and to identify areas for improvement. Feedback is collected from Reading Mentors at each Training and Development session, and assessments of the individual Mentors and the program in general are completed by the Site Supervisors and teachers at the participating elementary schools at the end of each semester. The feedback provided by the schools has been and will continue to be extremely helpful to us in our ongoing efforts to improve the program. Beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year, a motivation study began. This study utilizes a student questionnaire to assess student motivation, self-esteem, valuing of reading, and reading activity. Mentors administer the assessment at both the beginning and end of each semester in order to measure students’ affective changes as a result of participation in America Reads. Finally, the PGCPS Office of Research, Evaluation, and Accountab ility has implemented a model that will provide hard data on student reading achievement and the Program’s effectiveness.
Based on the success of the America Reads model at both the local and national level and resulting from the need for improvement in mathematics achievement, an America Counts Program was implemented beginning in the 2000-2001 academic year. The partnership between the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Public Schools has expanded to embrace this new opportunity and has been renamed America Reads*America Counts to reflect this change.
America Counts Mentors work with fourth grade students in a small group setting, at least once per week. The America Counts Mentors are placed at one of the six participating schools based on their availability. The Math Mentors follow a four-part lesson plan which was designed in conjunction with PGCPS personnel and College of Education mathematics faculty. Each session consists of basic facts practice activities, homework help, hands-on group activities and long-term projects. America Counts benefits students desiring math enrichment as well as students needing help with basic skills.
0144 Holzapfel Hall | College Park, MD 20742 | Phone: 301-314-READ | Fax: 301-314-7365 | arac@umd.edu
 |
ARAC Home | History | Our Staff | Stamp Student Union | Community Service-Learning |
|---|