AmeriCorps in Action

Math Corps Tutor, Shirley Boyd in front of a sign that says "Thank You Tutors."

Leading the Nation in High-Impact Tutoring

Over the last two decades, Reading Corps, Math Corps and Early Learning Corps have worked to support more than half a million students. Powered by people and fueled by research, our guiding principle is to follow the evidence and implement the most effective methods. We’re excited to share that a recent analysis of more than 80 studies has demonstrated that our tutoring works and works fast to help students improve their skills!   

Efficiency Excellence 

This May, the National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning (Accelerate) conducted a large meta-analysis – or examination of other academic studies – on tutoring programs. With the goal of measuring effectiveness for both student growth and overall cost, they focused their analysis only on studies with rigorous methods and a large sample size. Their report concluded that Reading Corps and Math Corps are among the best in the nation.  

Accelerate measured efficiency by calculating how many hours of tutoring were needed to gain an additional month of student learning. Among all math programs in the analysis, Math Corps was found to be the most efficient and Reading Corps was a close second among the literacy programs studied. To gain the equivalent of one month of learning, Reading Corps students needed 20 hours of tutoring and Math Corps students needed 6 hours! Both programs were nearly twice as effective as the average in these studies!

Proven and Cost-Effective 

These results are even more compelling when considering program cost. The researchers at Accelerate also proposed a new measure for assessing cost-effectiveness that involves examining how many months of additional learning can be achieved for every $1,000 invested per student.  

“Programs like Reading Corps and Math Corps simply cost less while achieving more for students,” says David Parker, Vice President of Research & Development of the National Science and Service Collaborative. “The data backs up the positive outcomes for students and – because they’re AmeriCorps service programs – they’re always among the most cost-effective options for schools.”  

Leading the Way 

While the nation works to boost student achievement, bridge opportunity gaps, and address academic progress lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading authorities and policy makers are focused on making high-impact tutoring available to more students. As the largest high-impact tutoring programs in the country, Reading Corps, Math Corps and Early Learning Corps are ready to help.  

Whether partnering to serve students in urban, suburban, or rural schools, our tutors make an incredible impact and we’re proud to be acknowledged for excellence in Accelerate’s latest research report.  

To help students succeed, more tutors are needed in communities across the nation. You can help by spreading the word about local needs or applying to become a tutor. For a list of open positions, please visit join.readingandmath.org! To learn more about us, click the button below.

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