This performance measure was originally "EPM 2.2a: % of students who completed Reading Corps." Given changed IRC program metrics and available data, however, this was modified to be the total number of students served by Iowa Reading Corps county-wide. Students are considered to have been served and show in outcomes data if they have had at least 1 tutoring session in the listed school year.

General Information: Iowa Reading Corps is based on the successful Minnesota Reading Corps, the largest AmeriCorps tutoring program in the country. A rigorous study conducted by the University of Chicago confirms that Reading Corps is a proven model that significantly accelerates literacy achievement for children age 3 to grade 3. By combining the people power of AmeriCorps with evidence-based practices, Reading Corps tutors in Iowa are part of a multi-state effort helping over 30,000 struggling students learn to read each year. ServeMinnesota provides the evaluation, training, and technical support to ensure fidelity of Reading Corps implementation across the country. (FY18-19 End-of-Year Evaluation, p.2)

Reading Corps is focused on intervention in the “Big Five Ideas in Literacy” as identified by the National Reading Panel, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Full-time tutors in Kindergarten through grade 3 work with approximately 15-18 at-risk students for 20 minutes each day. The tutoring interventions align with the Big Five literacy targets and are supplemental to the core reading instruction provided at each school. The goal of the tutoring is to raise individual students’ literacy levels so that they are on track to meet or exceed the next program specified literacy benchmark. (FY18-19 End-of-Year Evaluation, p.7)

Story County Information: The Reading Corps was brought to Iowa in 2013, with United Way of Story County as one of the early champions. In fact, in the pilot year (2013), 3 of the 10 tutors were placed here in Story County. The Iowa Reading Corps has continued since then through the financial and logistical support of United Way of Story County. Trained tutors are placed in elementary schools and work one-on-one with children identified as struggling readers. The following elementary schools have hosted Reading Corps tutors in the past years:

• Ames - Edwards, Fellows, Mitchell, Sawyer, St. Cecilia
• Ballard - East and West 
• Colo-Nesco
• Collins-Maxwell
• Gilbert
• Nevada
• Roland-Story

In FY22-23, tutors were placed at Ames Edwards, Ames Mitchell (x 2), Ames Sawyer, Gilbert Intermediate, Roland-Story Elementary, and St. Cecilia (Ames). Nevada and Ballard applied for tutors but were unable to secure a member. 

United Way's Associate Director of Community Impact (Education) worked closely with United Ways of Iowa and with local school districts to ensure recruitment and successful placements of IRC members for SY23-24. SY24-25 and forward, United Ways of Iowa has hired 2 staff members responsible for administration of the Iowa Reading Corps Program.