November, 1999 Update
A MESSAGE FROM AMERICA READS AND AMERICA COUNTS FWS COORDINATORS FRANCES BOND AND WENDY GOLDSTEIN
As we glance at the calendar and see the holiday season quickly approaching, we are reminded of the strides that America Reads and America Counts have made since the fall semester began. Currently, just over 1,200 campuses participate in America Reads and nearly 300 participate in America Counts. As a result, thousands of young students nationwide are receiving the personal attention and additional learning time they need to become independent readers and strong mathematical thinkers. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for all of your hard work.
As you know, the purpose of the monthly FWS Update is to provide new information and resources to those persons charged with administering America Reads and America Counts programs on higher education campuses. In an effort to improve ongoing communication, we will be converting the Update to an on-line format. This new medium will enable us to share important information in a more timely fashion. (To receive the FWS Update electronically, please send an e-mail to listproc@inet.ed.gov and in the message area write only the following: subscribe FWS-Update yourfirstname yourlastname).
Also, in an effort to ensure that our offices have your institution's most current information on file, we have enclosed an America Reads*America Counts voluntary sign-up sheet. If you have not recently notified us of any changes to your campus's contact information, then please complete the form and return it to the Department. Additionally, your campus may be participating in America Reads and/or America Counts and we have not properly recognized your commitment. Please check the list of campuses participating in America Reads and/or America Counts (located at http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/committed.html) to make certain that we have rightfully identified the program(s) your campus participates in.
Included is a copy of the new America Reads tutor recruitment poster and brochure. Additional copies of these items are available free of charge while supplies last. To order additional copies, please call 1-877-4ED-PUBS.
Thank you again for your dedication and ongoing efforts to provide enriching and rewarding experiences for FWS tutors and young students. We hope the information included in this issue is helpful and we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to send us a note at either americareads@ed.gov or America.Counts@ed.gov.
AMERICA READS TELECONFERENCE
On Monday, October 18, the America Reads Challenge, in partnership with the University of Vermont, hosted a two-hour teleconference titled, "Building and Sustaining Community Collaboratives." 306 sites nationwide registered for the satellite connection and 191 registrations were received for Internet viewing. Beginning November 15, copies of the video will be available by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT AMERICA READS*AMERICA COUNTS FWS
- If an FWS tutor expends all of his or her FWS award before the end of the semester, can he or she continue to serve as a volunteer tutor?
- According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hourly Work Division, an FWS tutor who expends all of his or her funds prior to the end of the semester, may not opt to serve as a volunteer tutor in the same school without pay. The FWS student can, however, be assigned other volunteer duties at the same school or work as a volunteer tutor at another school.
- Do campuses that participate in both America Reads and America Counts need to record separately the number of hours that FWS students work as either reading or math tutors?
- Yes. The 1999-2000 FISAP (Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate) that must be completed in the Fall of 2000, will ask campuses to report separately the number of FWS students who served as reading and/or math tutors, as well as the total amount of FWS dollars spent on students employed as either reading or math tutors.
NEW RESOURCES
The America CountsTutoring Roadmap is an on-line guide containing many suggestions and materials for building high-quality mathematics tutoring/mentoring programs for young students in grades K-9. It includes information about key program components, such as setting goals, tutor recruitment, and tutor retention, as well as mathematics tutor-training materials--designed along grade bands and content strands--and a resource database that highlights materials suitable for use in tutoring sessions. To view, please visit http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/roadmap/.
Ideas at Work is a recent publication that highlights examples of activities to help all children become good readers. Descriptions of national, state, and local efforts are presented along with contacts for the various programs. This publication is available from ED PUBS 1-877-4ED-PUBS or on-line at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ideasatwork/.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
"Tutoring Struggling Readers." On March 16, 2000, America Reads and the Rutgers University School of Education will sponsor a conference on tutoring programs for struggling readers. In addition to workshops facilitated by 12 national reading experts, the conference will feature presentations by Carol H. Rasco, Director of America Reads, Mary Beth Blegen, the 1996 Teacher of Year and current Teacher-in-Residence at the U.S. Department of Education, children's author Jean Marzollo, and an Irish storyteller. The conference will be limited to 250 participants. For registration information, please call the Rutgers Graduate School of Education at 732-932-7496 (x 202), or send an e-mail to gsece@rci.rutgers.edu.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICA READS and AMERICA COUNTS:
Visit the newly updated America Reads and America Counts web sites (http://www.ed.gov/americareads/ and http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/ ).
Join the America Reads*America Counts Listserv, an information and discussion forum for reading and mathematics tutoring. To participate, simply send an e-mail to lists@lyris.etr.org and in the message area type: subscribe americareads Firstname Lastname.
Contact the America Reads Challenge office at:
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-0107
1-800-USA-LEARN
americareads@ed.gov
Contact the America Counts office at:
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8200
1-877-220-9684
America.Counts@ed.gov
