Program Impact
In 2007 independent researchers from Washington University and Mathmatica policy research conducted a control-group study of Generations Incorporated's Reading Coaches program. Results show that the program has statistically significant and educationally important effects on young students' literacy skills. Students showed statistically significant gains in both reading comprehension and teacher's rating of reading skills. This evaluation is one part of a larger Experience Corps evaluation being conducted in Boston, New York, and Port Arthur, Texas.
In addition, our 2007 results indicate:
- Students who participated in Reading Coaches improved their reading skills 2.3 levels - more than double the improvement of students not receiving special attention.
- 88% of teachers said that the Classroom Literacy Coaches program is excellent and would recommend it to other teachers.
- 67% of teachers strongly believed that children who read with Experience Corps Members had more confidence in their ability to read.
- 93% of Experience Corps Members felt s/he made good relationships with children in the classroom.