I know we have all been chatting on email to complete this project and think we have a great start and it seems to be coming together.  Great work everyone.  Below is what I already emailed and submitted and had added to Amanda's start. 

Case Studies

“America Reads” Mesa Community College

Mesa Community College serves the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale Arizona.  Through the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at the college the school actively practices service learning and offers community based learning opportunities.  The mission of the center is to collaborate with the community, encourage leadership, and personally grow and to learn responsibility.  The college has a very unique, diverse ethnic makeup and background. 

According to Dawn Rhodes, the program specialist for service learning, the college serves about 23,000-25,000 students.  Dawn stated that the population is just over 4 million in the Phoenix area with a strong Spanish speaking population that ranges somewhere from 25-30%. English literacy is a key part of the community based/service learning that the college offers. 

“America Reads” is a specific program that the center offers that allows students of the college to tutor and mentor youth at one of four elementary schools (Adams Elementary, Mesa Arts Academy, Keller Elementary and Gilbert Elementary) according to Rhodes.  The focus of the program is to help children to read well and to do it independently.  The tutors sign up through the center by filling out an application, so it is truly a volunteer program, and then go through an orientation.  Rhodes stated that at the orientation students are trained reading techniques and strategies that they can use with children in the classroom.  The goal is to increase literacy skills and achievement levels.  By providing the additional help with the extending learning times students will learn through practice and repetition while building a relationship with a college student.  A commitment is made to the program and is typically a school year and a contract is signed by both. 

The activities used for this program follow a curriculum that is given to the tutors and breaks down the skills they work on for that week.  Since the school knows that the student will be working with a community college tutor the students grammar and writing teacher also gives the student additional worksheets and practices to work on with the tutor that have been identified as areas that a student might need some practice in.  The tutoring takes places as an after school program and it is expected that the college student will go to the elementary school to complete the weekly curriculum within that schools library so that the student may browse and look for books to read also.  The tutors are also able to sit down and ask the students what their interests are and then books can and will be chosen based on those interests. 

According to Rhodes the collaboration and cohesiveness that takes place between the students, tutor, teacher and parents is vital and critical to the success of this program.  Rhodes referred to the tutors as almost big brothers and sisters to the students.  In meeting with Jose who is one of the tutors in the program he mentioned how not only is it “cool” to give back but he also has made a lifelong friend.  Jose referred to the program as a “win-win”.  Students get the help, support and mentoring that they need, Jose gets real world experience and a resume builder, the school builds a better relationship with the community and the community is the real winner as they get educated, productive citizens that in many ways will also look to pay it forward like Jose has. 

Program Data

America Reads Program http://www.mesacc.edu/community-civic-engagement/america-reads