Mission Statement
Washington Reading Corps Fact Sheet The mission of the Washington Reading Corps (WRC) is to improve reading abilities of K-6 students across Washington State. This is achieved through research-based tutoring of struggling readers and effective collaborations among schools, families, community members, National Service, business, and state partners. Washington Reading Corps makes a difference for struggling readers: WRC schools improve their WASL scores at a greater rate than the state average : WRC schools improved the number of students meeting standard on the 4 th grade Reading WASL by 11.1 percentage points as compared to the statewide average of 7.7 percentage points from 2003 to 2004. From 1999 to 2006, scores at WRC schools improved by 30.8 percent, compared to the statewide average of 22 percent. The WRC is a cost-effective intervention that has served over 95,000 Kindergarten through sixth grade students since 1998 with research-based tutoring interventions. Now, 7,000 struggling readers are being tutored in 84 schools. Analysis by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory of pre- and post-test data indicates that WRC students at all grade levels have made significant gains relative to their grade-level peers. Other student changes (based on teacher questionnaires and interviews): improved attitudes toward reading, increased self-esteem and confidence, improved social skills, improved reading comprehension, and improved critical reading skills (analyzing, comparing, synthesizing, and summarizing). Businesses, volunteers, and parents throughout Washington support WRC: The WRC develops community collaborations that open schools to the community. The program averages 4,000 volunteers annually. Approximately $500,000 is contributed each year by businesses and organizations to support WRC programs at the local and state levels. WRC schools develop family involvement plans and provide activities to students to encourage school-home connections. Family literacy activities include evening events, classes for parents, and book distributions. Washington Reading Corps requires scientifically-based practices with strong results: Data is used to ensure that tutoring sessions directly address the reading needs of students. Programs are intentionally aligned with classroom teaching. Tutoring programs include grade appropriate phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing activities. Community partnerships and connections are resulting in a more positive view of schools within their communities.
