Our impact
School-year impact
Partnering with schools and communities, we mobilize volunteers to engage in one-on-one tutoring (either in person or online) with students who are working to boost their literacy skills. This past school year, 91% of K-2 Reading Partners students and 87% of all Reading Partners students met or exceeded their primary literacy growth goal.
Proven programs
Reading Partners is committed to ensuring that students gain the critical reading skills needed to prepare them for academic, social, and civic success. At the core of our program model is the use of multiple data sources to monitor student progress and site quality, and to evaluate program success. From annual student assessment and quality monitoring activities to researching the effectiveness of pilot initiatives and contracting for independent studies, Reading Partners systematically collects, analyzes, and uses data to generate knowledge, improve programs, and report on impacts.
We assess student reading skills three times during the year and formally survey teachers twice each year to track each student’s progress and ensure high-quality programming. The assessment process enables our staff to benchmark students’ reading levels at enrollment, modify instructional reading plans during the year, and report gains at the end of the school year.
In addition, our volunteer tutors write observational notes after each tutoring session. Our site staff review the notes and use the information to provide additional instructional support and guidance for tutors throughout the year.
Partners in impact
Schools
Reading Partners works with under-resourced schools in geographic centers around the country. Our one-on-one tutoring model is . To qualify for our direct service, a majority of the students enrolled at the school must qualify for free/reduced lunch.
Community partners
Reading Partners works with individuals, companies, and organizations that care about early education in their community. These community partners help provide volunteers, funding, and services to our local programs, allowing Reading Partners to serve more schools and students. Our community partners extend our impact to the broader community, expanding our network of supporters and reading advocates.
AmeriCorps
Reading Partners has been a proud partner of for nearly 15 years. In 2010, Reading Partners recruited 33 AmeriCorps members in California, and since then has expanded across the country, engaging 300+ AmeriCorps members serving thousands of children each year. AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. Reading Partners is proud to be a part of this network and looks forward to continuing our partnership with AmeriCorps.
Our supporters
Reading Partners is grateful to the individuals and organizations who share our commitment to raising reading achievement. See a full list of our supporters.
Third party research
Independent, gold-standard research finalized in 2015 by MDRC demonstrated, through a randomized control trial, that Reading Partners has a positive and statistically significant impact on reading comprehension, sight-word reading, and reading fluency. The study also found our program is effective for a wide variety of students and that for every dollar invested in Reading Partners, our program model delivers more than two dollars in literacy resources to students.
Independent, gold-standard research finalized in 2015 by MDRC demonstrated, through a randomized control trial, that Reading Partners has a positive and statistically significant impact on reading comprehension, sight-word reading, and reading fluency. The study also found our program is effective for a wide variety of students and that for every dollar invested in Reading Partners, our program model delivers more than two dollars in literacy resources to students.
An independent, five-year study conducted by Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA), a leading national education research and evaluation firm, has affirmed the strength of Reading Partners’ program. Specifically, Reading Partners was able to launch quickly, sustain, and implement our program with fidelity in a new region. Moreover, APA found that students served by Reading Partners—and particularly English Language Learners—showed significantly greater improvement in their literacy skills than comparison students not served by the program.
Full report: “Expanding Opportunities to Successfully SupportĚýEarly Readers: A Five-Year Study of ReadingĚýPartners Colorado”
View a summary of the study findingsĚýin the infographic:
An independent, five-year study conducted by Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA), a leading national education research and evaluation firm, has affirmed the strength of Reading Partners’ program. Specifically, Reading Partners was able to launch quickly, sustain, and implement our program with fidelity in a new region. Moreover, APA found that students served by Reading Partners—and particularly English Language Learners—showed significantly greater improvement in their literacy skills than comparison students not served by the program.
Full report: “Expanding Opportunities to Successfully SupportĚýEarly Readers: A Five-Year Study of ReadingĚýPartners Colorado”
View a summary of the study findingsĚýin the infographic:
In 2016, Reading Partners launched a two-year research partnership with Child Trends, a leading national nonprofit research organization focused on improving the lives and prospects of children, youth, and their families. This study built upon findings from Reading Partners’ two rigorous impact studies, including deeper exploration of the characteristics and experiences of Reading Partners’ volunteer tutors, and a first look at social-emotional learning outcomes for our students.ĚýThe study, which included all four Reading Partners regions in California, concluded in the fall of 2018.
Key findings include:
- Reading Partners was successful in recruiting and engaging students who needed reading support.
- Students who participated in Reading Partners improved in their reading and social-emotional learning skills.
- Volunteers upheld program fidelity and engaged in positive, supportive relationships with students.
- Reading Partners AmeriCorps members gained essential professional skills compared to national AmeriCorps alumni.,
Additional information about the study findings can be accessed below.
Detailed briefs:
Social emotional learning outcomes:
In 2016, Reading Partners launched a two-year research partnership with Child Trends, a leading national nonprofit research organization focused on improving the lives and prospects of children, youth, and their families. This study built upon findings from Reading Partners’ two rigorous impact studies, including deeper exploration of the characteristics and experiences of Reading Partners’ volunteer tutors, and a first look at social-emotional learning outcomes for our students.ĚýThe study, which included all four Reading Partners regions in California, concluded in the fall of 2018.
Key findings include:
- Reading Partners was successful in recruiting and engaging students who needed reading support.
- Students who participated in Reading Partners improved in their reading and social-emotional learning skills.
- Volunteers upheld program fidelity and engaged in positive, supportive relationships with students.
- Reading Partners AmeriCorps members gained essential professional skills compared to national AmeriCorps alumni.,
Additional information about the study findings can be accessed below.
Detailed briefs:
Social emotional learning outcomes:
In spring 2018, Reading Partners contracted with Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to conduct the Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Study, intended to deepen the organization’s understanding of the quality of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps service experience and its effects on the civic engagement and educational and career pathways of their AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni.
Findings from that study, which concluded in December 2019, indicate that serving as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners fosters professional skills; informs educational and career pathways; and influences beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to civic engagement. For example, a majority of Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps alumni reported that their service experience caused them to re-examine their beliefs; at least 80 percent felt that serving exposed them to new ideas and ways of seeing the world; and 85 percent reported that their service experience prepared them for their current position. Moreover, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely than alumni in a similar study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers the AmeriCorps program, to report that their service experience enhanced their professional skills in areas like adapting to new situations, working with people different from themselves, and working independently.
Three part report series:
Report 1Ěý–ĚýAlumni reflections on their service year(s)
Report 2Ěý–ĚýInfluencing the academic and career pathways of Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni
Report 3Ěý–ĚýInfluencing the civic engagement of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni
AppendixĚý(for reference)
In spring 2018, Reading Partners contracted with Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to conduct the Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Study, intended to deepen the organization’s understanding of the quality of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps service experience and its effects on the civic engagement and educational and career pathways of their AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni.
Findings from that study, which concluded in December 2019, indicate that serving as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners fosters professional skills; informs educational and career pathways; and influences beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to civic engagement. For example, a majority of Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps alumni reported that their service experience caused them to re-examine their beliefs; at least 80 percent felt that serving exposed them to new ideas and ways of seeing the world; and 85 percent reported that their service experience prepared them for their current position. Moreover, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely than alumni in a similar study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers the AmeriCorps program, to report that their service experience enhanced their professional skills in areas like adapting to new situations, working with people different from themselves, and working independently.
Three part report series:
Report 1Ěý–ĚýAlumni reflections on their service year(s)
Report 2Ěý–ĚýInfluencing the academic and career pathways of Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni
Report 3Ěý–ĚýInfluencing the civic engagement of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni
AppendixĚý(for reference)
The 2021-2022 school year was the first year of at-scale implementation for Reading Partners’ Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. During a time when COVID-19 continued to deeply impact communities, Reading Partners contracted with the OMNI Institute to examine successes and challenges with implementing Reading Partners SEL curriculum at scale and to evaluate students’ SEL outcomes. The evaluation, which was designed to continue building on the available evidence base for Reading Partners, found that Reading Partners students demonstrated growth in SEL competencies greater than expected based on maturation alone, but the impact of dosage on these improvements was inconclusive.
Full report: “Student Social and Emotional Learning Outcomes Evaluation”Ěý
The 2021-2022 school year was the first year of at-scale implementation for Reading Partners’ Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. During a time when COVID-19 continued to deeply impact communities, Reading Partners contracted with the OMNI Institute to examine successes and challenges with implementing Reading Partners SEL curriculum at scale and to evaluate students’ SEL outcomes. The evaluation, which was designed to continue building on the available evidence base for Reading Partners, found that Reading Partners students demonstrated growth in SEL competencies greater than expected based on maturation alone, but the impact of dosage on these improvements was inconclusive.
Full report: “Student Social and Emotional Learning Outcomes Evaluation”Ěý
Reading Partners is pleased to be highlighted as one ofĚýfive effective one-on-one literacy tutoring programs in a June 2017 report conducted by Research forĚýAction for the William Penn Foundation entitledĚý. The report highlights findings from our rigorous, randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by independent research firm, MDRC, demonstrating that Reading Partners is effective for struggling readers. Reading Partners is unique among the five programs in our demonstrated impact on literacy skills for English Language Learners.
Reading Partners is pleased to be highlighted as one ofĚýfive effective one-on-one literacy tutoring programs in a June 2017 report conducted by Research forĚýAction for the William Penn Foundation entitledĚý. The report highlights findings from our rigorous, randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by independent research firm, MDRC, demonstrating that Reading Partners is effective for struggling readers. Reading Partners is unique among the five programs in our demonstrated impact on literacy skills for English Language Learners.
Report: CEO Adeola Whitney named one of the top 100 influencers in EdTech
See full report .
Report: Accelerating Student Learning with High-Dosage Tutoring
See full report here.
Literacy Tutoring for Baltimore: What we know, where we are, and how to move forward
See full report .
Institute of Education Sciences What Works Clearinghouse
See full report .
White House My Brother’s Keeper Showcase
See full report here.
Strong ESSA Rating: Evidence for ESSA
See summary here.
Library of Congress Best Practice Honoree: Reading Partners
See the announcement .