Oskaloosa Elementary School Awarded Two Iowa Reading Corps Members

United Way of Mahaska County

Oskaloosa Elementary School has again been chosen to be part of Iowa Reading Corps for the 2015-2016 school year.

Iowa Reading Corps is a statewide initiative to help ensure that all Iowa students are on track to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. The program places AmeriCorps members, trained as Elementary Literacy Tutors, at sites across Iowa to spend time with students who are just below proficiency in reading. Each day, members meet individually with students to conduct 20-minute tutoring sessions that focus upon building students’ skills in phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency.

The Iowa Reading Corps program is showing huge growth this year – 62 Reading Corps members will be deployed throughout the state.

United Way of Mahaska County was an early supporter of this initiative, which started in the 2013-2014 school year. Oskaloosa hosted 2 of the first 10 members in the whole state in the program’s first year.

“We saw right off the bat that this system of 1-on-1 tutoring for kids who are just short of where they need to be can have a huge impact,” said Amy Langdon, executive director United Way of Mahaska County.

Langdon said it’s about setting up kids to be successful for the rest of their education and future careers.

Oskaloosa Elementary School is still looking for members to fill its two open positions. Iowa Reading Corps members range from parents, grandparents, recent college grads, individuals exploring a potential career in education, and mid-career professionals. Members will be trained as Elementary Literacy Tutors to help guide students toward becoming successful readers by third grade.

“Our previous members have seen real results and made a lasting impact in the students’ lives,” Langdon said.

For more information, go to www.uwiowa.org/IowaReadingCorps or contact Amy Langdon at United Way of Mahaska County at 641-673-6043.