America Reads

The Associated Students Community Affairs Office and local schools continue to work together to implement UCSB’s response to the national America Reads/America Counts challenge. America Reads America Counts (AR/AC) tutors are funded through Federal Work Study funds allocated for the months of September through June.

Program Advisor Allina Mojarro with America Read/Counts Tutors

Several tutors chose to continue on as volunteers in the classroom once their $2000 workstudy award is exhausted.  Each tutor is expected to encourage K-6 students in the subject areas of Reading and Mathematics, and support children in their school development. Every year AR/AC hires, fingerprints, and trains 35-40 UCSB students to work as in-class and afterschool support to teachers. In 2011-2012, AR/AC provided services in 4 schools, 25 classrooms, and 3 after school programs at Isla Vista Elementary, El Camino Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Adelante Charter Elementary, and La Casa de la Raza Youth Center. An estimated 5,989 hours of service were provided to local schools and after school programs in 2010-11 academic year.

Support is available to all tutors throughout the year; in addition, all tutors participate in monthly support trainings designed by AR/AC’s Community Education Outreach Coordinator, 4th year PhD student Allina Mojarro in the Gervirt’s Graduate School of Education.  Overall, the goal of trainings is to provide tutors with the resources and information needed to support teachers and students in the classroom.  Highlights of the 8 trainings from Oct 2011 to June 2012 include:

  • An Orientation to America Reads/Counts and Associated Students; Introducing tutors on how to enter the classroom environment.
  • An introduction to Math and Literacy teaching strategies.  Tutors also introduced to “Thought Patterns for Success”, strategies for personal and professional goal setting.
  • Negotiating Positions in the Classroom, Friend vs, Authority
  • Working in a Diverse educational Society: Strategies for working within Difference.
  • Building and maintaining strong tutor teacher relationships.
  • Creating Affirmations: Turning your skills into a career.
  • In addition, guest presenters and schoolteacher Barbara Carrillo spoke to AR/AC tutors. Presentation was entitled “The ABC’s of Classroom Management”
  • AR/AC’s final meeting was a potluck in which tutors mingled and networked one last time before the end of the year. Also guest speaker Kim Mitchell returned to give a presentation on recognizing achievements and setting goals for next year.