Program Description
Future Forward is an early literacy intervention that provides a support system for kindergarten through third grade students struggling with reading that integrates one-on-one tutoring and family engagement. FF leverages a school-community-family partnership strategy to address the literacy needs of both students and families. Within FF program sites, each building has an assigned site manager, who is typically a certified teacher, and a family engagement coordinator (FEC). The site manager manages the tutoring activities, which includes the hiring of, generally paraprofessional, tutors to conduct one-on- one tutoring and coordinates with the school and teachers to schedule sessions around core instruction classes. The FEC is responsible for family outreach and communication, which involves monthly family events and ongoing contacts to help facilitate literacy development outside of school. The individual tutoring sessions vary based on the skills and interests of the students. Areas of focus during the sessions can include a focus on letter sounds, phonological awareness, shared readings, tutor read aloud, leveled/instructional readings, and writing activities. FF sites are expected to provide students with a minimum of three 30-minute tutoring sessions per week and to communicate with families at least two times per month.
Future Forward is a freestanding program, using customized curriculum and dedicated staff, with the full collaboration of school administrators and classroom teachers. Future Forward staff work with a child’s home and learning community toward the ultimate goal for all students to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
Program Outcomes
Future Forward was evaluated in a two-year randomized control trial across seven low-income schools in Milwaukee, involving 576 students in kindergarten through second grade. The study found statistically significant positive impacts on students’ foundational literacy skills (ES = +0.23) and school attendance (ES = +0.20). The strongest effects were seen in struggling readers, 90% of whom met literacy benchmarks by the end of the study compared to 33% in the control group.
Future Forward was tested for scalability through a randomized control trial during the 2019-2020 school year across 14 schools in Wisconsin, Alabama, and South Carolina. Despite disruptions caused by COVID-19, the study found a statistically significant positive impact on student attendance (ES = +0.13).
A modified version of Future Forward was evaluated during the 2020-2021 school year using a randomized control trial across nine schools in Wisconsin, Alabama, and South Carolina. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the study found a positive, though not statistically significant, impact on reading achievement, with an overall effect size of +0.09.
A one-semester version of Future Forward was evaluated in the 2021-2022 school year using a randomized control trial across three schools in Wisconsin and Alabama. Results showed a significant positive impact on reading achievement, with an effect size of +0.30 on the Star Reading assessment and +0.31 on DIBELS for students in Alabama. There were no significant effects on student attendance.
Across these four studies, Future Forward participants consistently showed improved reading skills and average daily attendance, qualifying the program for ESSA “Strong” ratings for both reading and attendance.
Staffing Requirements
Depends on number of children served per school. Working with an average of 30 highest-need struggling readers per elementary school requires 1 Program Manager, 1 Family Engagement Coordinator, and 6.5 FTE tutors.
Technology
Computers and internet required for virtual implementation. No student technology required for in person implementation.