Program Description
Education Corps partners with school districts to provide in-person high-dosage literacy tutoring to low-performing K-5 students. Its program is designed primarily for students in grades K-3 who score below grade-level benchmarks on early literacy skills. Education Corps assists schools in implementing in-person high-dosage literacy tutoring, including: recruiting and screening tutors (who are then selected and hired by schools); aligning and scheduling tutoring to complement core instruction within schools; providing pre-service tutor training and coaching to tutors throughout the school year; providing progress monitoring and impact evaluation support to schools throughout the school year and after; and advising schools on how to find funding to pay for tutoring. Prior to the start and throughout the course of each school year, Education Corps’ team members work with school-based MTSS coordinators and/or instructional leaders to ensure effective program implementation. These school-based “Tutoring Leads” work with Ed Corps staff to identify eligible students and coordinate scheduling for tutoring. Ed Corps recruits tutors from the local community, requiring only a high school diploma or equivalent based on district policies, and trains them using a 16-hour asynchronous course aligned to the science of reading, followed by a 2-hour synchronous capstone session before tutoring begins. Tutors are hired directly by the district based on Ed Corps recommendations and receive ongoing support from a designated Ed Corps Learning Coach throughout the year. Ed Corps’ Learning Coaches are all former classroom teachers. Tutors provide in-person, in-school tutoring to small groups of up to 4 students at a time, at least 3 times per week, in 30-minute sessions. The program supports a minimum of 30 sessions per student per year. Ed Corps supports tutors who use the mClass intervention curriculum or equivalent researched-backed curriculums. Lessons target specific foundational literacy skills identified for each student at the start of the year based on mClass DIBELS Eighth Edition or equivalent screeners, including phonemic awareness, phonics, oral reading fluency, high-frequency words, and word fluency.
Program Outcomes
A randomized study examined the effectiveness of Ed Corps in improving early literacy skills. The study was conducted across 9 schools in a single large school district in North Carolina during the 2024-2025 school year. Participating schools served higher proportions of economically disadvantaged students and English learners, and had lower average academic performance relative to the district. The study included 867 students in grades K-3 who scored below grade-level benchmarks at the start of the year, of whom 41% were Black, 39% were Hispanic, 33% were English learners, and 15% had IEP status. Students were randomly assigned to receive Ed Corps tutoring or business-as-usual school supports. After one school year, students assigned to Ed Corps tutoring scored significantly higher than control group students on the end-of-year DIBELS Composite assessment (effect size = +0.15). Among the 163 third graders in the sample, students assigned to Ed Corps also scored higher on the North Carolina End-of-Grade state reading assessment, though this result was not statistically significant (effect size = +0.13). Students who were not chronically absent showed stronger results (effect size = +0.21). Boys showed particularly robust gains (effect size = +0.33), while effects for girls were near zero, a pattern the authors attribute to girls benefiting more from standard Tier 1 classroom instruction during the same period rather than differences in tutoring experience. Mid-year results were similarly positive (effect size = +0.17), suggesting meaningful gains occurred early in the program. This study qualifies Ed Corps for a “Strong” rating.
Staffing Requirements
Partners must identify a Tutoring Lead for each school building and are responsible for hiring the tutors. Education Corps’ staff helps recruit, train, and support Tutoring Leads and tutors throughout the school year.
Professional Development/Training
Education Corps provides pre-service training on the science of reading, effective small group tutoring instruction, and ongoing coaching throughout the school year. It partners with school districts to train tutors on using their preferred literacy intervention. High-quality instructional materials are required. If a school does not have them, Education Corps will recommend options.
Technology
We require partner schools to use a progress monitoring system that identifies students’ beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year scores and informs student selection, grouping, and scheduling (e.g., mClass DIBELS Eighth Edition). We provide a digital Tutor Session Log so that school personnel, including tutors, are equipped to track which students are being tutored, by whom, on what skills, when, and with what frequency. This helps ensure high-quality implementation and continuous improvement. We have data sharing agreements with all partners.