Press Release
Literacy Champions: A New Model for Community Participation in Austin Schools
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathrin Brewer kbrewer@austinpartners.org
January 24, 2005
Austin Partners in Education (APIE) and Americorps for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE) have joined forces to help improve literacy for the Austin Independent School District’s elementary school students. Sponsored by Baker Botts L.L.P. at Allison Elementary, Literacy Champions is the flagship in a series of targeted outreach efforts that address the highest need of AISD students with practices that deliver a measurable increase in performance. Each year, approximately 80% of ACEE students achieve or exceed grade level expectations in reading. Through Literacy Champions volunteers expand the reach of ACEE interns, providing additional support in reading skill development. Volunteers receive structured ACEE training and on-site support to ensure their effectiveness.
“This groundbreaking program draws together non-profit educational services and AISD to provide a new model for involvement in schools.” APIE Executive Director, Kathrin Brewer said. “The third component we need to be successful rests with the Austin community. W . In order for this program to be successful and expand,e need the commitment of volunteers and sponsors to develop and expand our programs.” “We appreciate the valuable partnerships with APIE and ACEE to train and recruit volunteers to work with our students,” Austin School Superintendent Pat Forgione said. “Our schools rely on dedicated volunteers to enrich students’ academic experiences.” “The Literacy Champions” of Allison Elementary is a powerful new framework of business program partnerships that through expansion will improve the academic performance of students across the district,” ACEE Executive Director Dr. Mary Ellen Isaacs said.
Tutors meet with their student for one hour at Allison Elementary School every Tuesday, between 8 and 11:30 a.m. They receive structured training, on-site support and ongoing education development. Other dates and times may be available as the program expands. For more information, please access the website at austinpartners.org. Allison Elementary is located at 515 Vargas Road, just 7 minutes from downtown.
Other student support opportunities include utoring academic study groups, mentoring, and computer literacy. For more information about the Literacy Champions and other APIE programs, contact Audrey Glaser at 637-0974 or aglaser@austinpartners.org.
APIE is a newly formed non-profit organization funded by AISD and the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Addressing the highest desires and needs of the students and the school, APIE acts as clearinghouse for educational services to the district. Through APIE, volunteers choose high-leverage opportunities that fit their expertise, time commitments, and interests.
ACEE, a program of the University of Texas at Austin’s Charles A. Dana Center, is an early literacy intervention program that provides research-based, effective, bilingual literacy tutoring to young struggling readers in low-income elementary schools in Austin. ACEE has been providing literacy tutoring to AISD elementary students for ten years.
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