Philanthropic Problem-Solvers Webinar Series:

Mobilizing Citizens to Produce More Third Grade Readers

March 26, 2015

GLR Campaign Webinar Team

Lauren MaddoxDirector, Investor Relations

Emily SamoseSenior Consultant, Investor Relations

Susanne SparksSenior ConsultantNetwork Community Support Centerand webinar organizer

Lacy McAlisterProgram Assistant, Investor Relations

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Coming Soon…•National Volunteer Week, April 12-18

•Post photos and share stories of literacy volunteers and tutors by April 6 for the Campaign to recognize and find tools and templates for local recognition: http://gradelevelreading.net/national-volunteer-week-2

•Second Annual Campaign Funder-to-Funder Huddle, April 23-25•Foundations investing in GLR Network Communities, school readiness, attendance or summer learning will gather in San Francisco prior to the Council on Foundations annual conference

•Campaign & United Way Peer-to-Peer Learning Exchange, April 27•United Ways leading and participating in GLR Network communities will gather in a special convening prior to the United Way Community Leaders Conference in Grapevine, TX

Webinar Presenters

Marilee L. Dal PraVice President of Programs Virginia G. Piper Charitable TrustPhoenix, AZ

Sally C. FullerProject DirectorThe Irene E. and George A. Davis FoundationSpringfield, MA

Background

Virginia Galvin Piper

Mission: Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona.

Focus areas:• Healthcare & Medical Research• Children• Older Adults• Arts & Culture• Education• Religious Organizations

InvestmentsAnnual grantmaking budget is $21 million

Since the Trust began in 2000 we’ve invested more than $339 million in nonprofits, programs, and strategic initiatives

Founding partner of Read On Arizona launched in 2012

1202 East Missouri Avenue

AARP Experience Corps

• Engages older adult tutors to improve K-3 student literacy in disadvantaged schools

• Started in 1995 by Public/ Private Ventures as a pilot in 5 cities

• In 2011 Experience Corps joined forces with AARP

• Part of the AmeriCorps National Service Network

AARP Experience Corps

Local Programs• City of Tempe launched the

program in June 2006

• City of Phoenix launched the program in October 2014

• Strong partnership between Read on Communities, AARP Experience Corps and Experience Matters

Program Details for City of Tempe

• Program initially implemented in 6 Tempe elementary schools and currently being expanded to 12 schools

• 350 students being tutored this year

• Started the program with 30 older adult volunteers and currently have 84

Program Details for City of Phoenix

• Program being implemented in 18 Phoenix elementary schoolsin 5 school districts (over three years)

• Serving a minimum of 1,500 struggling readers

• 170 older adult volunteers recruited by AARP and Experience Matters

Rigorous national and local research studies showed more than 60 percent gains in two critical literacy skills:

• Sounding out new words

• Reading comprehension

Program ResultsJohns Hopkins University

Washington University in St. Louis

Mathematica Policy Research

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Research/Evaluation

Program EvaluationOngoing evaluation effort to measure:

• Students—Improved reading scores

• Teachers—Improved student performance in the classroom and increased self-confidence

• Volunteers—Improved well-being

Lessons Learned• More intentional about linking

funding priorities (i.e., older adults and early literacy)

• Power of investing in effective programs and measuring results

• Collaboration presents challenges (i.e., power struggles)

• Unlikely partners are strong advocates for literacy efforts

Replication• Reach out to AARP

Experience Corps staff

• Rely on existing collaborative focused on 3rd grade reading to accelerate the process

• Requires broad partnerships (schools, volunteer service providers, funders)

Marilee Dal Pra, Vice President of ProgramsVirginia G. Piper Charitable Trustmdalpra@pipertrust.org480-556-7138www.pipertrust.org

Terri Clark, Arizona Literacy Directortclark@readonarizona.org480-556-7151www.ReadOnArizona.org

Peggy Goldberg, Volunteer AdvisorAARP Experience Corpspgoldberg@aarp.org202-250-1540www.aarp.org/experience-corps

Contacts

Filling the Gaps to Advance Early Literacy

The mission of the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation is to support the development of Hampden County children, youth and

families by insuring they have the opportunities and supports needed to achieve their full potential.

We accomplish this through investing in a continuum of services with a particular focus on young children ages birth through eight, while at the same time sustaining these early investments through

a variety of learning supports and experiences for youth ages 8 through 18.

Investments:$3 – 5 million annual grant-making

budget

Reading Success by 4th Grade annual investment since 2009:

$600,000

The Model: Intervene Early To Accelerate Success

Results for Year 2 (2013-2014)

• The percentage of students “on target” or “close to target” in picture naming improved from 48% to 84% from fall to spring.

• The percentage of students “on target” or “close to target” in rhyming improved from 20% to 60% from fall to spring.

• The percentage of students “on target” or “close to target” in alliteration improved from 19% to 54% from fall to spring.

• The percentage of students “on target” or “close to target” in letter names improved from 44% to 79% from fall to spring.

• The percentage of students “on target” or “close to target” in letter sounds improved from 10% to 51% from fall to spring.

Benefits to Schools/Teachers

Teachers indicated that participation in Reading Corps impacted them as a teacher by:

• gaining specific skills in supporting literacy

that they can use with their students;

• gaining specific knowledge in understanding

student progress monitoring graphs;

• helping them reach every student in need of

literacy support; and/or

• increasing their belief that all students can

learn to read

Year One: 12 AmeriCorps volunteers Year Two: 20 AmeriCorps volunteers Year Three: 25 AmeriCorps volunteers

Pre-K Classrooms in Springfield Public Schools, Head Start, community-based early childhood providers

Year One: 116 children in 6 classrooms Year Two: 348 in 16 classrooms Year Three: 400 Pre-K children in 23classrooms

Replication of Minnesota Reading Corps

Funders for Massachusetts Reading Corps

Funds Master Coach position, Internal Coaches, ongoing training for volunteers and classroom

teachers

Vision for Massachusetts Reading CorpsAll children, age 3 to grade 3, who

qualify for Reading Corps, will have access to Reading Corps and will meet

reading standards by third grade. We will… serve 448 Springfield students in 2015-16; expand to serve 2,920 Springfield students by 2019-20; expand throughout Springfield and Holyoke Public

Schools, Head Start, and Square One by 2020; and increase number of literacy tutors from 28 in 2015-16 to

160 in 2019-20.

Value of mixed delivery system Each preschool partner has its own needs

and resourcesChampion critical to growthPublic school system partnership important

but most difficult to manageAdditional funding to Corporation for

National and Community Service AmeriCorps funding is critical

Lessons Learned

Evidence-basedOngoing evaluationUses data to guide teachers and volunteers

in appropriate interventions with childrenContinuous improvement built into modelCreates literacy-rich environment throughout

classroomDesigned to impact social/emotional

development as well as early literacy skills

Value Of Minnesota Reading Corps Model

Minnesota Reading Corpshttp://www.serveminnesota.org/programs/minnesota-

reading-corps

Replication Information: Sadie O’Connorsadie@serveminnesota.org

Massachusetts Reading CorpsShannon Langone, Program Director slangone@springfieldcollege.edu